The Last Messenger
by Relik
Summary: Magic, swordsmen, and a kingdom in peril. Old version. This is being rewritten as 'For King and Country', found on my profile.
1. Chapter 1: Heart of the Sword

_ Good day to any and all who felt brave enough to give this fic a try! I greatly appreciate it. A little about this story:_

_It's obviously about Rurouni Kenshin, and I'll probably end up using most if not all the canon characters. It's also set in an alternate universe, so there MAY be changes to relationships, personalities… that sort of thing. Though I will try to keep somewhat faithful to the manga/anime (I'll probably mix aspects of both). There will be some Japanese terms used, and I will provide definitions or explanations to most at the end of a chapter._

_Please read and review! I accept all reviews, and I usually don't mind when people offer corrections. Just… please keep it civil…. _

**For King and Country**

She froze when she came out of the trees and was faced abruptly with a vast plain scattered with the remains of a battle long past. The light of the setting sun dyed the scene a garish red, lending the grass a startlingly blood-like hue. The woman blinked, and looked around warily.

She was thin, a sort of painful thin that happens when somebody already slender suddenly doesn't get enough food, and her clothing was ragged and worn. The _tatami zori_ on her feet were nearly completely worn away, and the _haori_ that hung from her shoulders was threadbare and filled with holes. In fact, all of her clothes were filled with rends and tears- some of them looking to have been made by sharp-edged objects. Wisps of her long dark hair escaped from her high ponytail, drifting into her face until she raked them back with a swift, irritated gesture. Her face was too thin as well, cheekbones casting sharp shadows on pale skin. Dark smudges marred the skin under her eyes.

Overall, she looked like somebody already dead. So perhaps that was why she seemed so unconcerned with the heaps of sun-bleached bones and half-rotten armour that crunched and clacked quietly under her feet as she crossed the field. Anything that might have been of interest to wild animals had long been removed, and all that remained were the dead. Any other sane human would not have dared set foot in that field. No, not field- graveyard. It was clear that nobody had bothered to even try to lay the dead there to rest. It was as if the battle had promptly been forgotten as soon as it had ended.

The woman who, curiously enough, had seen fit to ignore these facts, made her way carefully to the hill that rose haphazardly from the center of the field. The number of dead seemed to increase as she drew near, as if the hill had lain at the heart and heat of the battle. A _sune-ate_ cracked under her heel, but she didn't glance down, keeping her eyes scanning the horizon. Looking for enemies? Pursuers?

Reaching the crest of the hill, she looked out around the surrounding field and nodded slowly in approval. It was clear to see why; the hill was a highly defensible location. From the top, one could see every blade of grass on the plain. It would be nigh impossible to sneak up on somebody there, and from the woman's manner, that was something she had to look out for.

By that time, the last lingering rays of sun had disappeared, and the woman lowered herself to the ground, breath hitching as undoubtedly sore muscles protested. She sat with her knees drawn up to her chin, watching the moon rise, obviously intending to pass the night on the hill. Wisely, she did not try to light a fire. The light would have been an obvious beacon in the night, for just as the view of the field was clear from the hill, the view of the hill was clear from the field. It was a pity, though, because the night was cool and the breeze continued to slip icy fingers through the huddled woman's tattered clothes. Aside from an occasional shiver, she did not seem to mind, however. Perhaps she welcomed the assistance the chill lent in keeping her awake? For it was blatantly obvious that she meant to keep watch all night; every time her head began to nod forward, she would jerk upright and give herself a shake, blinking furiously. And for the most part, her efforts were not in vain. She kept herself awake as the quarter moon slowly traced an arc across the sky, only succumbing to her obvious exhaustion twice, and then only for a few breaths. Then she'd jolt awake and look around hastily, inspecting her moonlit surrounding as if expecting samurai to pop up from behind the sad heaps dotting the field.

Near midnight, a sudden, fierce wind sent her hands flying to her collar to clutch her thin _haori_ close around her body. Her black hair streamed out like a banner, and some of the smaller bits of detritus on the field swirled around in strange patterns, tumbling across the ground and catching on some _kabuto_ here or katana there.

Her eyes followed a bit of faded cloth as it fluttered through the air and came to rest at the feet of the man standing before her. She started, having not heard nor seen him approach. She stared up at him with shocked blue eyes, and from the shadows obscuring his face, he stared back.

"Well," he said finally, his voice low and curiously flat. "Aren't you going to beg for your life?"

"Is there a reason why I should?" she replied, wearily. There was a long pause in which she peered up into his face, trying to see through the shadows. But nothing was discernible but for the seemingly youthful curve of one cheek.

"You do not know the legend of this hill?" he asked, just as quietly as before. There was an odd lack of emotion in the voice. She shook her head, shivering a bit as a sudden chill swept her body. The man shifted, the moonlight outlining the fold in his _gi _and_ hakama_. "Many years ago a sorcerer tried to take over this country. He had many men at his side, but many chose to stand with the rightful king against him. The sorcerer was powerful, however, and his armies decimated the opposing troops. But there was one swordsman who always triumphed against the opponents the sorcerer sent to face him, and the sorcerer began to hate this enemy. The two faced each other at last in the middle of a great battle. The swordsman wounded the sorcerer gravely, but, with his magic, the sorcerer stole the swordsman's heart and set a geas upon him. The spirit of the swordsman was bound to the battlefield upon which they had fought, and was ordered to slay any who dared set foot on the field after sunset."

He fell silent. The woman blinked slowly, immediately understanding that the man standing before her was said swordsman. "Well, it sounds like begging for my life would be a futile action. I think I'll forego it, thanks."

The spirit inclined his head. "There is a chance for you to avoid this fate."

The woman looked up at him, the cool moonlight shining on her face making it seem even more corpse-like. He turned his head away to stare off at the distance.

"I will release you if you can return my heart to me."

"What?" She said, brow furrowing. "But…"

She stopped and frowned, thinking. "Your heart… If you are bound to this hill, does that mean your heart is hidden nearby?"

Instead of answering, he said, "If you can find my heart by sunrise, I will spare your life."

And he vanished.

"W-wait!" The woman yelped, half rising from the ground. Of course, it was too late. She lowered herself back down and scowled out around the field. She mumbled to herself: "His heart…"

She gazed speculatively around her and stood.

)0(

The sky was just beginning to lighten in the east when the wind rose again, bringing with it the spirit swordsman. He stood motionless as the wind died and his clothing and hair settled. The woman lifted her head to look at him from where she sat on the slope of the hill.

"Have you failed, then, as every other fool before you has failed?" Questioned the swordsman impassively. She didn't answer right away, but rather slowly unfolded herself and stood. She tossed an object to his feet in a smooth gesture.

"There," she said, her voice a tired croak. The swordsman gazed down at the katana, but didn't move.

"Pick it up," he ordered. The woman's eyes narrowed.

"Why?" she asked. The edges of the swordsman's form wavered, as if he were an image of smoke and a breeze had just blown through him. She perceived that he was annoyed.

"Because I cannot." It was gritted out through clenched teeth.

She moved forward and bent to pick it up, keeping a wary eye on the shadowed spirit. In the growing light, she fancied she could make out the colour of his hair and clothes. The long- red?- bangs that hung in front of his face still obscured his features, however.

"Is this not your heart?" She questioned, holding the katana between them, tipping the blade so that a bead of light rolled up is length to the hilt. It was a well-made weapon, still sound after countless years lying exposed on the field. It just needed a new hilt, and perhaps a polish…

She was entirely unprepared for what happened next. The swordsman moved in a flash, so quick that she had no time to think, she simply reacted. And she reacted in the way that had been drilled into her as a disciple of _kendo_; she leveled the blade in her hands and braced herself.

All breath and thought fled her body as the swordsman threw himself forward onto the katana, driving himself down its length until he lost his momentum. He slumped forward toward her, folded over the blade. The tip gleamed wetly from his back, just left of center. She was transfixed by the sight, frozen by the action, she could not even twitch. Her mind started to babble, but she distantly noted the blood that ran down the blade, coating her hands and dripping to the ground.

_'B-blood? But he's… a spirit…'_

His hands rose slowly from his sides, slowly, shakily, and she watched with wide eyes as they closed over her own hands, which still gripped the hilt of the katana. They were warm, and slick with blood. _'He's…able to touch me…'_

Head bowed over the hilt and their clasped hands, the swordsman dragged himself further onto the blade. It was then that she was able to shake her paralysis, and her hands began to tremble under the impossibly solid fingers of the spirit.

"Oh," she whispered, and that was all she could say for a while. "Oh. Oh, no…"

She released the hilt, and suddenly her hands were fluttering over his chest, lightly touching the blood-soaked _gi_ and the cold steel buried in his flesh. She pressed her hands to the wound, as if she could stanch the flow of blood from it. His head rose, hair (she could see now that it really _was _red) falling away from his face, and his eyes met hers in the strengthening light of dawn.

She was once again immobilized, caught like a fly in the amber of his gaze.

Still clutching the hilt in his hands, the golden-eyed swordsman took a step back… and another… And he fell to one knee, turning his head to the side and coughing up blood. He panted, each breath ragged with pain. He shuddered once, taking in a great gulp of breath…

In a sudden, swift motion, he ripped the katana from his chest. The deep breath he'd taken in was torn from his lungs in an agonized grunt. He fell forward, propping himself up with one fist. The katana was stuck point-first into the ground, and he leaned heavily on it.

For her part, the woman merely stared. Her lips moved soundlessly, and she sat down heavily, gaping at the man crouched not far from her.

The first rays of the sun spilled over the field and hill, perversely casting this nightmare into the day-lit world.

Silence reigned on the hill for a time, and then there was a soft clack as the swordsman levered himself up with the help of the katana. He looked down at the ragged figure of the one who had been able to break the geas that had been set upon him.

"Woman," he said, "Who are you?"

She gulped and, after a few false starts, managed to say: "I am Kamiya Kaoru, King's Messenger."

The swordsman turned his head to look at the sunrise, the bright light highlighting his red hair, golden eyes, and the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. When he spoke it was little more than a whisper, in a tone of almost like wonder.

"I am… Himura Kenshin…"

_TERMS_

_Tatami zori- Zori sandals are any japanese sandal that has a flat bottom. The sandals are called tatami which means straw. The surface of the sandal is made from woven straw like the tatami mats used on the floors of Japanese homes._

_Hapi- A long-sleeved overcoat typically worn over a kimono._

_Sune-ate- Shin guards. Part of Japanese samurai armour._

_ kabuto- Samurai helmet._

_gi- Loose shirt worn by samurai._

_hakama- Wide skirted pants worn over the gi._

_kendo- "The way of the sword" The study of sword-fighting._


	2. Chapter 2: Trading Stories

**For King and Country**

_ Okay, so this chapter is coming out relatively quickly. DON'T GET USED TO IT. I don't have boundless amounts of time to spend on writing (alas; would that I did) and I also have two other stories I'm trying to write. I am sorry, but that's reality. That being said:_

_Thanks to all you who reviewed! You guys rock my socks. _

**Chapter 2**

"Kenshin…" Kaoru said through numb lips. She stared at him, noticing that there was no sign of the wound on his chest but for the bloodstains on his clothing. This fit somehow, because she couldn't shake the feeling that this was all false. That it wasn't real.

_'Could I be hallucinating for some reason?' _She wondered, _'I _am_ tired, cold, and I haven't eaten in three days. It's possible.'_

It took her a moment to realize that the hallucination was talking again. She looked at him blankly. "Huh?"

"You have returned my heart to me and broken the geas. If I may serve you with the life you have restored to me, I will."

"A… life-debt?" She blurted in surprise, "No! That… that's not necessary. I…"

"Could use some assistance, if your appearance is any indication," he finished for her. He looked down at the ground, thinking, as Kaoru's face flamed and her mouth snapped shut. "You said you were a King's Messenger. Who is your King?"

"Katsura Kogoro is King," she replied, ignoring the perverse little corner of her mind that insisted she stop talking to her illusions. Then she frowned and added, under her breath, "… if he's still alive."

Kenshin turned, his golden eyes snapping back to her face and narrowing. In a flash, he was before her, hauling her up by the front of her _gi. _"What do you mean? Who threatens the King?"

"Ah!" Kaoru gasped, grabbing his wrist in both hands. She stared up at his furious face, inches from her own, and was terrified. Her mind scrambled frantically for the answer. "Sh-Shishio! It was Shishio!"

He glared at her, and hissed: "Impossible! That's impossible."

"No it's not!" She protested desperately, certain that he would kill her, life-debt or no. "I saw him! He killed my comrades and nearly killed me!"

She huffed in surprise as he dropped her. His eyes swirled with uncertainty. "But Shishio was dying… I wounded him. He should have died."

"Should have? Maybe. Did he? No," she groaned as she pushed herself shakily upright. "And 'dying' is not the same as 'dead.'"

Her mind caught up with what he'd said then, and her brow furrowed. "Wait…"

"Yes," he acknowledged, anticipating her question. "Shishio was the sorcerer who bound me to this hill."

"How long ago were you… Did it happen?" Kaoru demanded, "these remains are years upon years old!"

"They are five hundred twenty-three years old, to be exact," Kenshin told her faintly, his thoughts obviously in the past.

"Well that doesn't sound right either," she said, "if they were that old, they'd be even more decayed!"

"This field was touched by strong magic," he reminded her, voice returning to the cool emotionless tone of before. "You cannot expect it to be unchanged by that."

"Oh."

They were silent for a moment, then Kaoru said, a little forlornly: "I don't understand what's going on."

"I told you the tale of this field," Kenshin said.

"Well, yes, but…"

"You were the first person to ever correctly guess that the katana was what bound me here, that it contained my heart. I knew, of course; I could sense it. But I could not touch it, could not even hint at it, and all the others before you were not near as perceptive as you. I am… grateful that you were able to find it, and that you were so steady when I… reclaimed it," he told her, pausing every once and a while to search for the right word.

_''Reclaimed', ha. Is that a euphemism for_ _'when I ran myself through'?' _Kaoru wondered giddily. She was feeling kind of light-headed. "Steady isn't exactly the word I would have chosen. Did you have to throw yourself on the sword like that?"

He shrugged eloquently, "I needed to place my heart back within me."

Kaoru's limbs were shaking with fine tremors. She thrust her hands into her sleeves to conceal the trembling, and thought dazedly: _'Maybe I am ill…'_

Then the world lurched and she crumpled prettily to the side, like a wilting flower. She was unaware of the jolt as her head hit the earth; couldn't feel the touch of dirt against her cheek.

)0(

Kaoru opened her eyes groggily, her entire body throbbing in time with her pulse. She felt so terrible; she was nearly paralysed with the pain. Through the haze, she noticed that she had been moved to the edge of the field, and was lying beneath the outstretched canopy of a tree.

"You pushed yourself too hard," said a dead voice from her side. With momentous effort, she turned her head to the side. Kenshin stood looking down at her. He'd found a sheath somewhere, and now wore his katana thrust through the ties of his _hakama_. Kaoru blinked at him.

"So it was real," she whispered, turning her head back and closing her eyes.

"You need to rest. Later, we can look for something to eat," Kenshin continued, pretending he hadn't heard her. He turned away. The words stirred something in her mind, something that had been buried by the events of the past night.

"No!" She croaked, struggling to sit up. Her _haori_, which had been draped like a blanket over her, fell around her in folds. Kenshin froze, and looked back. "No! They'll be coming! We cannot linger here! They are following, always following…"

She looked to the sun, and was dismayed to see that it was nearly set. She fought to stay upright, the weakness of her body distressing. Kenshin turned back around to fully face her.

"It doesn't matter. You aren't-" He stiffened, breaking off. Kaoru tensed as well, as his hand flashed to the hilt of the katana at his hip. His attention was completely shifted from her to their surroundings. "Something is out there…"

"Wha-" Kaoru screamed and brought her arms up to shield her face as he threw himself toward her, drawing his katana in a swift and smooth motion. There was a metallic _clang_ followed quickly by a _thunk_ as he parried the shuriken that had been aimed at her.

Kaoru lowered her arms and stared at the weapon embedded in the trunk of a nearby tree. Her gaze switched to the swordsman crouched in front of her. He was statue-still, but Kaoru could tell that he was prepared to move at any given time. He was merely waiting for his chance.

If there was a signal, Kaoru missed it. One moment Kenshin was there and the next, he was gone, the tip of his red ponytail disappearing into the gathering dark. She heard the clash of sword-on-sword, and then a gurgling cry.

_'Ken…shin…'_ she mouthed his name soundlessly, suddenly afraid. She could not tell who had been the one to cry out. A soft scuffling sound behind her brought her head up, and she held her breath as the sound drew closer.

When the strange man stepped out from the trees, Kaoru wanted to scream, to call for Kenshin, to do _something_, but the breath leaked from her lungs in a soft gasp instead. The man grinned at her, and advanced, drawing a _tanto _from his waist. Kaoru twisted and squirmed, trying to get away, but her traitorous body would not cooperate. She managed to get herself on her back, facing the oncoming man. She watched as he towered over her, pausing as if he wished to savor the moment. He reached for her throat slowly.

Kaoru lashed out with both feet as hard as she could, catching him in the stomach. Desperation lent her strength, and the man stumbled back a step or two. But really, it was a futile show of resistance. All it could accomplish was to set back her death a few seconds. And now the man was angry, and Kaoru truly sapped of strength. He stepped forward again, face twisted in fury. She licked her lips and lifted her chin to bravely face her death.

The sound as the katana ripped through flesh and bone was disgusting, and Kaoru's surprise was eclipsed only by her revulsion. She flinched as blood sprayed her face. The anger on the man's face was replaced with shock, and he fell forward, his torso nearly sheared in half. Standing behind him was Kenshin, dripping katana held at his side. He flicked the blade, sending droplets of blood splattering, wiped it clean, and sheathed it.

He stepped forward and captured Kaoru's eyes with his own. "I think you had better tell me everything, starting with why those men were sent to kill you."

"They were Shishio's men," she said, disappointed with herself as her voice shook. "You see, I… I am the last of the King's Messengers. All the others are dead."

She grimaced as the memories of her comrades surfaced in her mind, but gamely continued. "We were giving the King information of Shishio's troop movements, and he didn't like that much. We also were searching for his weaknesses, if he had any. Perhaps we were getting too close to the answer, because Shishio made it a point to hunt us down. And, as you may know, once Shishio gets it in his mind to do something, he won't rest until his goal is accomplished.

"We fell quickly; seven in the first fortnight, and more and more as time passed. Four… four days ago, Shishio's men caught Tomoe and I on the Road to the capital. Tomoe saw them first, and knocked me off my horse as they fired the first volley. Her body and the horses' shielded me from the arrows. She told me to run, that one of us had to live for the King's sake. So I did, and I haven't stopped running."

Kaoru wasn't surprised that, when she put her hands to her face, they came away wet. The pain was still so fresh. She remembered so clearly the sharpness of the grief when, one-by-one, she learned of the deaths of her friends. Every day had seen one more lost. And she hadn't wept for Tomoe's death yet; she had been too busy fleeing from the assassins that had been doggedly tracking her. But now those assassins were dead, killed by a spirit swordsman who had faced Shishio five hundred twenty-three years ago. So the tears came, and Kaoru cried.

"Who was Tomoe?" Kenshin asked, quietly.

"My sister!" wept Kaoru brokenly.

_TERMS_

_Haori- A long-sleeved overcoat typically worn over a kimono._

_gi- Loose shirt worn by samurai._

_hakama- Wide skirted pants worn over the gi._

_shuriken- a throwing star. A sharp-edged projectile weapon._

_tanto- a small dagger-like knife._


	3. Chapter 3: The Golden Veil Lifts

_ Okay, this is a pretty long chapter. I hope that makes up for the long-ish wait. This took me a while to write; I had to look up a lot of info, particularly about sake and sword smithing._

_A small note: my exams are coming up, so I don't know when I'll get the next chapter out. I'm sorry._

_Well, anyway, please READ & REVIEW! Much thanks. _

**Chapter 3**

Kaoru's tears slowed and finally stopped, but her face was left sticky and flushed from crying. She rubbed the heels of her hands across her cheeks, surreptitiously glancing over at Kenshin to gauge his reaction to her break down. He was standing a little ways away, his face averted. For a moment, she felt a flash of annoyance at him, at his aloofness.

"I'm sorry," she said grudgingly. "I'm acting like a little child."

"No," he said quietly, "Grief is good. It is… human."

Kaoru looked up at him in surprise, caught off-guard by his sudden sympathy. He turned, stooping to pick up the _haori_ that lay crumpled in the grass, and moved toward her. He looked down at her up-turned face, pale but for the shadows of fatigue beneath her eyes, and silently handed her the garment. As her hands lifted automatically to accept it, she became aware of the chill that was beginning to seep into her body, and she gratefully shrugged into the _haori_.

"We shouldn't stay here," Kenshin said, holding out his hand to her. She put her hand into his, thinking that he would use it to help her to stand, but instead he drew her arm over his shoulders and picked her up bodily. Kaoru gasped as she felt herself leave the ground, her arms tightening around his neck reflexively.

"W-what do you think you're doing?" she demanded, embarrassment and anger heating her face.

"You are still too weak to stand-" as Kaoru opened her mouth to protest, he added, "-and you know it. So don't argue."

Kaoru shut her mouth with a snap, glowering at the redhead. He ignored her, walking calmly through the trees with her in his arms. Although night obscured the forest, Kenshin moved confidently, never setting a foot down wrong. Kaoru wondered briefly what to do with her arms, but decided to leave them draped around Kenshin's shoulders, awkward as the position might be. She resolutely kept her face averted from his, looking anywhere but at him. They traveled a while in silence.

"_Ano_…" she said. "Kenshin?"

"Yes?" he replied tolerantly. Kaoru watched the pattern of shadows on the forest floor change as he carried her past them.

"Thank you."

)0(

They had been walking for while- the whole night and then most of the day- before Kenshin stopped. He set he gently on the ground and straightened.

"I'll be back," he said, and vanished. Kaoru stared after him.

_''I'll be back'?' _she thought, piqued. _''I'll be back'?! That's it? No explanation of _where_ he's going? Or for how long? He expects me to just sit here and wait?'_

Kaoru was still quietly fuming when Kenshin reappeared before her, some time later.

"Here," he said, and she blinked at the root vegetables that were suddenly thrust under her nose. They were still dripping with the river water he must have used to wash them off, but she accepted them happily, her irritation at his abrupt departure evaporating. Her stomach awoke and complained loudly.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed before falling upon the food ravenously. Kenshin didn't reply. He sat down a few feet away, his back against a tree trunk and his katana in its sheath propped on his shoulder. He watched her eat. Halfway through a carrot, Kaoru noticed his gaze, and swallowed her mouthful.

"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"No. I am not hungry," he told her. Seeing her hard look, he added: "Truly. I have not had to eat in five hundred years; if I eat now, so soon after regaining my corporeal body, I will become ill."

"Alright…" Kaoru said slowly, though she didn't stop glaring at him, "but if you are just trying to be chivalrous because you think there's not enough food, I'm sure I can find a branch around here big enough for me to hit you with."

"Even if you were to find a suitable branch, you would not be able to hit me with it," Kenshin retorted. Then he eyed her speculatively. "I had wondered before, but there was no time… Are you entirely unarmed?"

"Ah, I… What?" Kaoru sputtered, trying to follow the subject change even as her mind clambered for a response to the blow to her pride.

"Clearly you have no sword, but I had thought you would at least have a _tanto_ concealed somewhere on you," Kenshin continued.

"My katana was lost when I fell from my horse," Kaoru said, red-faced.

"Ah," Kenshin said. "We should stop in the next town to see if they have a swordsmith, then."

"Excuse me?" Kaoru said, going from angry to alarmed quick as a flash, "I'm not setting foot in a town! It could be controlled by Shishio! I could be caught!"

"There is no reason for them to know what you look like, so unless Shishio himself is there- which I highly doubt- you would be in no danger," Kenshin pointed out reasonably. "Besides, you require a weapon, and I require a new hilt for my katana."

He paused and then asked, "You do have money for such things, do you not?"

"I- Yes, but that's not the point…" she said, but she knew it was a lost cause. He was right. She sighed. "Fine. We'll find a swordsmith."

)0(

The town wasn't one that Kaoru would have even considered traveling through, let alone stopping in. It was one of the many small villages deemed too insignificant by Shishio to install his own leader in, and thus was ignored completely. The economic situation had declined as a result, and the town had become a broken place full of bandits and murderers.

Kaoru felt her skin crawl as she and Kenshin walked down the main street. She had regained at least some of her strength and was able to walk into the town under her own power, a fact for which she was intensely thankful. It made her feel a little less like a hare under a hunter's knife.

_'In all fairness, I don't think Kenshin would have allowed me to come into town with him if I still couldn't walk,'_ Kaoru thought, glancing over at the swordsman. _He_ didn't seem uneasy. In fact, he seemed perfectly comfortable with their location. _'Of course; he's the one with the katana.'_

Kaoru was jolted from her cynical thoughts by Kenshin's calm announcement: "There's a swordsmith's shop."

Kaoru looked. It was a small building, but undeniably a _kaji_'s workshop. Kenshin went confidently up to it, Kaoru trailing.

"Can I help you with something?" Questioned the old man seated beneath the awning of the shop; he sat behind an anvil and held a hilt-less blade in a rag-wrapped hand. He was looking at them with suspicion in his sharp black eyes. "If you're here to cause trouble, you'd best leave now."

Kaoru stiffened at the man's rudeness, but Kenshin held up his empty hands. "We're not looking for trouble, greybeard. Merely a sword for her, and a new hilt on my katana."

The old man eyed them a moment longer before nodding and setting the blade in his hand aside. "Let me see your katana."

Kenshin slid the weapon in its sheath out of his _hakama_ ties, and handed it over. The smith inspected the hilt, unsheathed the katana about two inches, and looked at the blade, assessing its quality. His eyebrows rose and he looked up at Kenshin, who didn't respond to the question in the man's gaze.

"We are in a bit of a hurry; can you fix it in a day?" Kenshin asked. The smith slid the blade back into the sheath.

"Less than," he replied. "You want it done just like the old hilt?"

Kenshin nodded.

"And you said you wanted a blade for your companion?" The old man switched his regard to Kaoru, who thought nervously that the man's gaze was discomfortingly piercing.

"Yes," she managed under the weight of his scrutiny. "But… do you have anything unsharpened?"

He folded his arms thoughtfully, his eyes never leaving her face. "A blunt blade?"

Kaoru heard the many meanings in his question, and drew herself up, injecting more confidence into her voice. "Yes. I do not fight to kill."

"Hmm…" was the smith's replied, but he removed his unwavering gaze from her face with a look almost like satisfaction. He stood. "Follow me."

Kaoru hesitated for a beat before stepping over the anvil to enter the small buildings back room. She blinked. Swords of every length, and even a _naginata _or two, lined the walls. The smith took a katana down and turned to her. Kenshin ghosted into the room behind her.

"This is a blade that I made long ago, for a young lord," the smith's mouth quirked up in an ironic smile, "He did not survive to see it completed, so I never sharpened it. Sword-lore has it that for a blade to truly awaken it needs to taste its master's blood before it's given an edge. It is that blood which binds the blade to the warrior who wields it. Without that awakening and binding, the blade will not obey its master, and will cut indiscriminately.

"And now you come to me asking for a blunt blade, and lo… I have this one. Though it is a pity," he added thoughtfully, "that it won't carry an edge. This was one of my greatest creations."

"Then I could not take it. A sword made such as this one deserves to fulfill its purpose," Kaoru protested. She knew the small magicks of swords. That katana would have soaked up the ideas and intentions of the smith while it was being forged; if the smith had created it for a lord to carry as an edged-weapon, it would become bitter at being denied that, and would turn on her. But the smith was shaking his head.

"No, this sword took on its own purpose, I think, as I forged it. I wondered, afterward, if I would have given it to the lord, or if I would have forged another… But no matter. It seems now to wish to go to you." He held out the katana, and Kaoru took it carefully. She drew it, marveling at the feel of it in her hand. The smith spoke true; it felt right in her grip, as if it wanted to be there. She turned it over in her hand and swept her eyes up the blade. Sheathing it gracefully, she bowed low to the smith.

"I thank you." He returned the gesture, and then looked at Kenshin.

"Your katana will be ready by sundown. Come back then."

Outside the _kaji_'s shop, Kenshin started down the street wordlessly, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his _gi._ Kaoru scrambled to follow.

"Where are we going?" she asked, confused. Kenshin was silent. Then:

"Was what you said true?" he questioned abruptly. Kaoru blinked. "You don't kill?"

"Why else would I ask for a blunt sword?" she replied, puzzled. He glanced back at her and she relented, giving him a real answer. "No I don't kill. I practice _Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū_, the sword that protects. My father taught it according to the ideal of _katsujin-ken_."

" 'Swords that give life,' " Kenshin murmured, and seemed to withdraw into his thoughts. Kaoru stared at his back, brow furrowed in confusion.

Despite being seemingly entrenched in his pondering, Kenshin led her unerringly to an _izakaya_. As they approached the establishment, Kaoru eyed it with some trepidation, suddenly getting the uneasy feeling that Kenshin was heading straight toward that questionable location, and hoping against hope that he wasn't. She grimaced when he turned into the entrance, but followed him inside readily enough. In truth, she was afraid of the _izakaya_, and those who might be lurking inside, and so made sure to keep close to the red-haired swordsman. For his part, Kenshin seemed to ignore her and everybody else. He finally looked at her after they'd been seated and a _tokkuri_ full of sake set before them.

"You seem ill at ease," he remarked, as if commenting on the weather. She wondered how he could be so nonchalant.

"Imagine that," she muttered caustically, trying to keep track of where every other patron was in the dim building. There were a couple of men who had taken a little too much interest in them for Kaoru's comfort. She looked back at Kenshin as the clink of ceramic pottery called for her attention at her elbow. Kenshin was pouring her sake.

"I, um… don't drink," she informed him absently. Kenshin set the _tokkuri _down, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"You have never tasted sake?" he correctly interpreted her statement. She shook her head, and looked down at the full _ochoko _set on the table before her.

"I never partook when the other Mess- the others had some. But I did learn how to pour it," she said, remembering belatedly that she probably should not speak of the King's Messengers out loud. She took the _tokkuri _and poured for Kenshin. He looked at the liquid a moment, before lifting the _ochoko_ to his lips. He set the empty cup back down on the table.

"I knew someone who once said that nobody should depart this world without having know the taste of good sake," he said.

"That may be true," Kaoru replied, pouring him more just to give her hands something to do, "But I think that any sake would taste sour and foul to me right now."

Kenshin downed the second serving and set the cupdown, turning his head to stare at the flickering flame of a nearby lamp.

"All sake tastes of blood to me," he admitted, his voice dull. Kaoru looked up at his face, feeling her heart lurch at the sorrow in his expression. "Even after five hundred twenty-three years, it still tastes of blood…"

Kaoru, at a loss as to what to say, looked down at her hands lying in her lap. Kenshin poured himself a third cup, tossed that down, and slammed the cup onto the table so hard the _tokkuri_ and Kaoru's _ochoko _rattled. He stood abruptly, and stalked out.

"Kenshin!" she hissed, alarmed. She hastened after him, catching up outside the _izakaya_ and stopping him with a hand on his arm. "Kenshin."

He half turned, and Kaoru spoke quickly, voice low. "Please, Kenshin, don't do anything to attract undue attention! I don't-"

"Oi, strangers." Kaoru's fingers tightened on Kenshin's elbow, and she looked over her shoulder with a knot of dread in her throat. Several of the men from the _izakaya_ were arrayed behind them, looking particularly sinister. Kaoru wanted to run, to curse, to knock the smirk off the long face of the bandits' leader. This was just what she feared would happen. The man leered at her. "What's your business in our humble village?"

"I don't believe that is of any import to you," Kenshin said, voice chilly. He didn't even turn to face the bandits.

"Oh, such a rude fellow we have here, boys!" Laughed the bandit, looking around at his gang. They guffawed obediently. Kaoru shifted, her hand moving surreptitiously to the hilt of her new katana, which she'd thrust into her _hakama_ ties. The bandit leader strutted forward, unsheathing the _joto_ he carried in his hands. He reached out to turn Kenshin around forcefully. "Hey!"

Kaoru was about to unsheath her katana and attack when Kenshin moved. As before, he moved very quickly, pushing Kaoru out of the way and spinning in one fluid motion. He knocked the bandit's _joto _aside and slid up close to the other man, his hand flashing out in an open-palmed strike on his chest. The bandit huffed, stumbling back a step. Kenshin's foot connected solidly with the side of his jaw. The other bandits reacted as their leader collapsed onto the dirt of the street, rushing forward to attack.

Kenshin flitted around them like the spirit he once had been, his speed so great that he seemed to disappear from time to time. At some point, he took one of the bandits' swords, and the blade flashed as he turned the blade on its former master.

"Stop!" Kaoru cried, just before the blade descended on the man's neck. Miraculously, Kenshin pulled the blow, and the weapon halted a breath away from the vulnerable neck. Both Kenshin and the bandit's chests were heaving with the exertion of the fight. All the other bandits lay senseless around them. Kaoru ran to Kenshin's side, closing her hands over his on the hilt of the sword. "Please don't kill him! Please, it's not worth it; don't demean yourself by letting his blood stain your hands."

Irrationally, she didn't want to see Kenshin kill in front of her, though she had seen him kill before and knew he had killed in the past. She covered his hands with hers, as if she would physically keep him from finishing the killing blow. Kenshin turned his cold pale gold eyes on her. She met his gaze with her own pleading blue one.

Kaoru held her breath as his bright gold irises slowly warmed and darkened to a deep amber. His face relaxed from the tight, dangerous expression it was set in, and his grip on the sword hilt loosened. He allowed Kaoru to gently push the sword down and away. The bandit bowed before them let out a sobbing breath of relief, shoulders sagging. He sprang up and fled, before the crazy golden-eyed swordsman could change his mind again and hack his head from his body.

Kaoru gave a small grunt as Kenshin suddenly staggered and almost fell, his weight coming down on her shoulder as she automatically shifted to catch him. He was panting as if he'd just run a great distance.

"Did… did I… kill someone?" he asked her, sounding confused and slightly… Frightened? She peered into his face and watched in fascinated wonder as bubbles of colour floated to the surface of his amber eyes and burst, turning the irises that rich, vivid violet.

_TERMS:_

_Tanto- a small dagger_

_kaji- swordsmith_

_naginata- a Japanese pole-arm with a long curved blade._

_ Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū- the sword technique that Kaoru's father created and of which she is a disciple. Translated it means 'the sword that protects.'_

_katsujin-ken- an ideal that teaches that swordsmanship should be used not to kill, but to conquer. Translated it means 'swords that give life.'_

_izakaya- a drinking establishment… also known as a bar._

_tokkuri- the ceramic flask used to serve sake_

_ochoko- a small cylindrical cup used for consuming sake._

_sake- an alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice_

_joto- a long staff or walking-stick that has a blade concealed within it._


	4. Chapter 4: Edo

**For King and Country**

_I am a terrible person. I should be studying for my exams but… whiney voice I don' wanna! end whiney voice So instead I wrote this chapter. Hope I don't regret it tomorrow… Ah well. I've studied my bum off the past week, and there's still time tonight. On to business…_

_Chapter four. A little mystery surrounds Kenshin. Kaoru discovers something slightly distressing. A note about Edo: for the purposes of my story, Edo is the capital city and it is surrounded by a large wall of pale-coloured stone, much like a city of medieval Europe. Hey, this is AU; I don't need to play by the rules.  
_

_In any case: hope you guys enjoy it! Please read and review! _

**Chapter 4**

"Did I kill someone?" Kenshin asked urgently as Kaoru stared at his changing eyes. Her mind finally caught the question and she managed to conjure up a reply.

"No. No one's dead, Kenshin." Kaoru murmured, and he sagged against her. Those striking eyes closed, and she felt a shiver run through him. Then, abruptly, he stiffened and moved away from her. His eyes opened, and she saw that they were golden once again. He took two unsteady steps away from her, his hand going to his head as if in pain. He blinked once or twice, his brow furrowed with confusion. He looked down at the blade in his hands, and dropped it unceremoniously on the ground.

Wavering on his feet, he shuffled slowly down the street, looking almost like he'd collapse. Kaoru moved alongside him, watching him worriedly in case his legs gave out. But he seemed to gain strength as he moved, and was soon moving as if nothing at all had happened. Kaoru was completely at a loss. Not only was she not quite sure what had just happened, she had no idea _why_ it had happened. Why did Kenshin suddenly become so concerned with whether he'd killed anyone? Why did his eye-colour change?

_'When I freed him from that spell,'_ Kaoru wondered uneasily, _'What exactly did I get myself into?'_

"It's almost sunset," Kenshin said, and Kaoru heard the warning in his tone:_ I do not wish to discuss what has happened here. _"The smith said my katana would be ready."

Kaoru flinched. _'For some reason, I really don't want him to have a weapon in his hand right now…'_

"Umm…" she said hesitantly. Kenshin stopped and threw her a hard golden glare over his shoulder.

"You wish to return to your King as quickly as possible, do you not?" he snapped, and Kaoru could only nod mutely. "Then we should not waste time."

"Alright," she replied meekly, courage failing her in the face of his anger. She didn't think it was aimed at her, but the fury in his eyes was still chilling. He turned around and continued down the street.

_'What are you doing? Don't let him intimidate you like that!' _Shouted a corner of her mind, but the more cautious part retorted: _'Shut up! Do you _want_ him to rip your head off?'_

The cautious voice won, and Kaoru stayed silent, trailing behind Kenshin.

"Right on time," said the smith, glancing at the setting sun as they approached him. He stood from where he'd been sitting, Kenshin's katana in hand. He held it out with both hands, and Kenshin took it with steady hands. The hilt looked no different than it had prior to the repair; it was bound in the same style, with the same materials… But it looked very different, at the same time. The metal fittings were not tarnished, the _ito_ whole and unfrayed. It seemed the smith had provided a new sheath as well.

Kenshin unsheathed the blade, testing the stability of the hilt. After a moment, he sheathed it and bowed in a smooth motion. "A fine job; I thank you."

"I was honoured to hold such a fine blade," replied the smith, bowing back. Then Kaoru was called upon, and money changed hands.

"Walk well, and may those blades serve you well," the smith bid them farewell. Kenshin and Kaoru bowed their reply.

As they left the village, Kaoru eyed the sword at Kenshin's side with some trepidation. Would he draw it on her if she roused his anger? Would he kill her if she offended him? She wasn't sure, and that was the problem.

"Where do we head now?" he asked her, breaking the silence. She started at the unexpected question.

"Where-?" she repeated, blinking.

"Where are we going? Where is your King?"

"Oh… I suppose we should head for the capital," Kaoru blushed, feeling moderately stupid at her first reaction to his question.

"The… the capital is still Edo, is it not?" Kenshin asked, and Kaoru wondered if she really heard him hesitate. It seemed almost as if he was afraid to ask.

"Yes," she replied then, sudden understanding.

_'It's been five centuries since he was sealed on that hill; I think… I think he's afraid of how different things can be now…' _Kaoru felt compassion for him. Kenshin's eyes flicked toward her, and she wondered if he could hear her pity in her voice. She rather hoped not; he didn't seem like a man who could stand to be pitied.

"Then we shall go south," Kenshin said, turning his face in that direction.

)0(

_'Who _is _he, really?'_ Kaoru wondered as she surreptitiously watched her red-haired companion out of the corner of her eye. They were walking on the road to Edo in silence, each leaving the other to their thoughts by unspoken agreement. _'What am I _doing?!_ I don't know anything about this man, and yet I'm trusting my life to him! And that scares me a bit, after seeing him so unstable yesterday.'_

Thinking back to the incident in the town the day before, Kaoru's mind took an abrupt turn: _'That was really a beautiful violet…'_

She shook the thought out of her mind impatiently, tipping her head back to stare up at the sky. The bright, happy blue colour seemed to mock her, playing counterpoint to her rather gray mood. _'I suppose the life-debt he owes me should be somewhat reassuring; he's not likely to break it by killing me in a fit of pique. But wait…'_

Kaoru frowned suddenly, and snuck another sidelong glance at the subject of her musings. _'He's already saved my life, what, twice? The life-debt would have been discharged.'_

"What is it?" Kenshin's voice broke the silence. Kaoru fumbled her thoughts, loosing the thread. Kenshin looked at her calmly. "You have been glancing at me all day; is there something you want to ask me?"

"Why are you accompanying me?" She blurted without thinking, and then, hurriedly, continued, "I mean, you've already repaid the life-debt, so why? Why still travel with me?"

Kenshin was silent, and Kaoru was afraid for a moment that he wouldn't answer at all. But he did, saying quietly:

"I'm not sure. Perhaps because I haven't yet accomplished my mission to destroy Shishio. Perhaps because I feel I owe it to this kingdom to finish what I've started."

"You will serve the King?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin looked sharply at her.

"Of course. I am one of his subjects."

"I suppose," Kaoru agreed, "But what I mean is… Well, he's not _your_ king, you know? He's not the king you served, the one you swore fealty to."

"No…" Kenshin replied thoughtfully. "But the people of this country have not changed. They are still just the same farmers and craftsmen trying to live their lives, the same children playing… They do not deserve the pain Shishio would bring them."

His face softened as he spoke, and he suddenly seemed much younger. Kaoru realized with a start that he could only be a year or two older than she, discounting the time he'd spent incorporeal. With his youth and innocence shining in his face, he seemed infinitely more approachable.

Kaoru hesitated, and then asked softly: "Kenshin? In the town yesterday… what happened?"

It was as if a door slammed shut behind his eyes. The gleam of humanity in his gaze vanished and his expression became closed. He turned away, and said, in bitter anger: "I will not speak of it. Do not ask me again."

Kaoru inclined her head in acquiescence and did not press the issue. But behind the fringe of her bangs, her expression was thoughtful. _'Perhaps I am misreading him, but… I think he's more afraid than angry. Why?'_

)0(

"There it is," Kaoru said softly as the road turned out of the forest and Edo came into view. "The capital city."

The city's pale stone walls glittered in the sun, and Kaoru felt her heart leap at the thought of returning home. She started to walk faster. It was right there! _Right there!_ Home!

There was a flutter of movement and Kaoru found Kenshin's arm around her waist, restraining her. He stared at the city with a slight frown.

"What are you doing?" Kaoru demanded. She began to struggle against his grip, but it was no use. He was stronger than she was. "Let me go! I have to go to the King!"

"Be still," Kenshin ordered her shortly. "There is something very wrong about that city."

"What are you talking about?! It looks just like it always has; now let me go!" Somewhat to her surprise, he did, removing his arm from around her so quickly that she staggered, trying to keep her balance.

"Stay here. I'm going to take a look," Kenshin said, making as if to leave. Kaoru grabbed his wrist.

"What a minute, what do you think you're doing? I'm going, too!" She protested. Kenshin glared at her, and though her heart quailed, she didn't back down.

"You will stay _here_," he growled. "You're of no use to your King dead."

He shook off her hand easily and was gone. Kaoru thought she saw something dark flash over the wall when she turned her gaze on the city. She set her jaw.

"And again I am left behind," she muttered in irritation. But she obeyed Kenshin, and stayed put.

_'Why am I listening to him?' _she asked herself, annoyed and bemused. _'Do I trust him that much?'_

Kaoru wouldn't let herself answer that question; she didn't really want to know. Or rather, since she already knew what the answer was, she didn't want to admit it. She hurriedly turned her eyes to something other than the city walls. _'Gee, that's a lovely tree! Just look at the pattern of the leaves!'_

She blinked at the tree in question. _'…Kaoru, you are so stupid. What kind of a distraction is that?'_

She sighed at herself and sat down to wait. She hadn't even gotten settled before she heard the sound of a horse and cart on the road. It was coming toward Edo, through the forest. Kaoru felt a little chill of premonition, deciding suddenly that she _really_ didn't want to be seen by whoever was approaching. She stood and melted back into the foliage, crouching by a tree trunk to peer through the leaves of a low bush.

The cart, when it came into view, looked perfectly normal and for a moment Kaoru felt a little embarrassed for her paranoia. But then she saw the driver, and noticed the condition of the horse.

The man was only a twisted mockery of a human being; shadows clung to him even in the warmth and light of midday. It hurt Kaoru's eyes to look directly at him; the most she could manage were quick, darting glances at him and then away, at him and then away again. Her brow furrowed against the pain as she tried to make out his form.

He seemed only vaguely man-shaped; his limbs were too thin, spindly… like a spider. His hands, sticking out from the tattered ends of his sleeves, were pale and covered in angry red sores; his fingers were shaped more like claws than anything else. The hood of his cloak was pulled over his head, but Kaoru had a nasty feeling that the face beneath it wasn't any more human than the rest of him. Kaoru couldn't look at him any longer, and her eyes slid from the shadowy, wavering form on the cart to the horse pulling it. Her eyes darkened with pity.

By all rights, the poor thing should have been dead. The bones of its ribs poked out from its sides and its hide was dirty and matted, streaked with blood from the lash marks splashed liberally over its withers and flanks. Its head hung low, drooping piteously almost down to its knees. Its hooves had been shoed sloppily; the nails poked up through top of the hoof in a couple places, and Kaoru could tell that the horse had picked up a rock in the left hind leg. It would be lame after the journey. If it wasn't dead. Kaoru doubted that the horse was meant to live very long after the cart reached Edo.

The wind changed as Kaoru looked sadly at the doomed animal, bringing the scent of the inhuman driver to her nose. It was sickly sweet, cloying. It smelled of death. Kaoru knew the scent; she had smelt it before. She hadn't liked it then, either. She clapped a hand over her nose and mouth, feeling sick.

As if it had seen that small movement, the driver's hood snapped around, the darkness of its opening pointing toward where she was hiding. Kaoru dropped down and laid flat, shivering in the loam of the forest floor. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the creature to turn back around and continue past her. _'Please, just keep going. There's nothing here… There's nothing here…'_

She didn't know if it left, or how long she lay there trembling in fear, but the next thing she knew there was a quite voice speaking to her directly. "What has happened? What did you see?"

She sat up quickly, looking around almost frantically. She settled down right away upon seeing Kenshin's bright form standing nearby. His face was reassuringly human after the horror of the creature on the cart. Even if his eyes were still that frightening gold colour.

Looking at them, they seemed more golden than usual, the yellow glare bright and hard, as sharp as the edge on the blade at his side. It seemed to Kaoru that he was angry, teetering on the edge of a killing rage. She curled in on herself, trying to make herself as small and harmless as possible.

"There… there was a… creature… on the road," Kaoru faltered, and Kenshin's head jerked around to glare at the now-empty road. He looked back at her, and his eyes darkened, warmed.

"Did it see you? Are you alright?" Kaoru shook her head wildly at his first question.

"No! No, it didn't see me. I hid…" she shivered again, and then shut the feelings away. She set them behind the walls she used to close off her emotions when she assumed her Messenger poise. No fear in the face of duty. "I am fine."

Kenshin eyed her, and accepted her words without comment. Instead, he told her: "Edo has fallen."

Kaoru let her head bow a bit, and replied: "What of the King? Was there any word of the King?"

"No," Kenshin replied. Kaoru's shoulders slumped as she gave in to despair. Kenshin reached out as if to reassure her, but stopped before touching her, and added: "If Shishio had killed him, his head would be decorating the gate. You would know if he was dead."

Kaoru looked up at the redhead, despair and hope warring in her eyes. Seeing no lie in his face, the hope won. Her head turned to look at the bright walls of Edo, the regard flavoured with an air of farewell. Kenshin let her say her silent goodbye, standing quietly beside her.

"If he is not in Edo, or captured already, the King will be in Kyoto. We should head there," she said finally, and turned back to him. She met his amber gaze easily, and in her wide blue eyes he saw himself reflected. Kenshin turned away quickly.

"Very well."

_TERMS_

_ito The cord wrapping on the hilt of katanas._


	5. Chapter 5: I Traveled With WHO?

_**EDIT: Added a few lines to description of Katsura. **_

_ Hello all, sorry this took a while, but I was without internet access for a good time over Christmas holiday. Though I did manage to write a nice amount. Forgive, forgive! I seem to make habits out of being late… Shame on me. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please read and review!_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

As a travel companion, Kenshin left much to be desired. He spoke little, and set so rapid a pace that Kaoru, only barely recovered from her frenzied flight from the assassins sent to kill her, invariably ached by the time they finally stopped at night. Tonight was no exception.

Kaoru flopped onto her stomach at the campsite, putting up a valiant effort to not groan with relief. She had her pride.

"What will you do when we find your King?" Kenshin asked. Kaoru glanced up at him.

_'I wonder if it took him all day to come up with that question?'_ wondered Kaoru caustically, a little put off that he'd stay silent all day and then suddenly pop up with a question like that. _'At least he's trying… He _could've_ just kept his silence…'_

There was that little traitorous corner of her mind again, sticking up for Kenshin… Just because it was traitorous didn't mean she didn't listen to it, though.

"Um…" Kaoru said. Her mood darkened as she thought about his inquiry, and she answered glumly, "Deliver my message, I suppose. Even though it probably won't be of much help…"

She looked up at him and said, carefully, "Hey… you said before that you were traveling with me because you hadn't finished your mission… Does that mean you plan on finishing it?"

"Yes," Kenshin replied immediately. His eyes lightened from amber to gold. "Shishio is my responsibility. No one else's."

_'Ooookaaay…'_ Kaoru's eyebrows rose. She inspected Kenshin's face, and what she saw there almost broke her heart; her face settled into sorrow. _'He's so full of guilt it's killing him.'_

She looked away, aching somehow inside. "You idiot."

"What?" Kenshin said, startled. Kaoru lifted her chin to glare at him, suddenly annoyed.

"I said you're an idiot. What, you don't think getting rid of Shishio is my responsibility _at all_? He killed my friends! I want a shot at him, too!"

"If I had killed him the first time, your friends would still be alive," Kenshin said, the anger growing in his expression.

"If, if, if! You keep going on like that and you'll 'if' yourself to death!" Kaoru shouted at him. She was standing by now, facing him with her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Kenshin was staring back at her, his expression oscillating between fury and bewilderment. "Why don't you accept the past and start _thinking_? As long as Shishio dies, what does it matter if you had help? You don't have to do this alone!"

Unable to continue without either bursting into tears or strangling Kenshin, Kaoru whirled and stalked off into the trees, fuming. _'I'm so _sick_ of feeling sorry for him! And I'm sick of being brushed off!'_

She punched a tree trunk, ignoring the pain when the bark scratched her knuckles. _'I don't even know why I care so much. I just can't… look in the face of such regret and pain.'_

She growled at the tree, but refrained from striking it a second time. She glanced back toward the camp, but Kenshin had not followed her out into the trees. Kaoru glared in his general direction, and started pacing, grumbling with irritation the whole time. It was quite late by the time she had cooled down enough to return to camp.

When she got to the clearing where they'd stopped for the night, Kenshin was asleep against a tree. He was seated upright, katana resting against one shoulder. Kaoru quietly made her way to a spot several feet from him, fatigue resting heavily on her mind.

"No." Kaoru very nearly jumped at the sound of Kenshin's voice, and she whipped around to look at him. He was still asleep. Yet he spoke again, clearly: "No."

His voice was slightly strained, as if he were fighting to keep some strong emotion from evading the calm timbre of the sound. Kaoru took a hesitant step closer, but he didn't speak a third time. She leaned in a bit, blinking as she looked into the shadows covering his face. Was that… sweat? On his brow? As she leaned closer, one of his hands twitched on the sheath of the katana in his lap.

Kaoru backed up hurriedly. "Kenshin?"

Her voice was high and nervous. He didn't answer, or wake. Kaoru watched his hand warily, but it rested motionlessly on the katana sheath, relaxed. Slowly, the tension left her shoulders. She stood over the red-haired swordsman, hesitating. Should she wake him? It seemed as if his dreams were disturbing him, but…

_'I get the feeling that waking him right now would be hazardous to my health,' _she thought, only partially in jest. So she stepped back away from him, wishing she could comfort him… The realization shook her. Sitting down, Kaoru stared over at his shadowed form. _'I… I think I'm attracted to him, heaven help me.'_

)0(

Kaoru paced silently behind Kenshin, for once not aware of the awkward silence in which they traveled. She was too busy thinking. She watched the road pass under her feet, and was oblivious to when Kenshin halted in front of her. As a result, she very nearly ran right into his back, but she managed to stop herself just in time.

Kaoru found herself staring at the back of Kenshin's _gi_, mere inches from the end of her nose. She could smell Kenshin's scent, too- something fresh and woodsy. She backed up hurriedly.

"Why'd we stop?" she asked, willing her blush to fade. Fortunately, Kenshin didn't turn around to answer.

"Kyoto," he said. Kaoru wondered what he meant for a moment, but then her eyes widened and she craned her neck over his shoulder to peer past him. They made it to Kyoto!

Remembering Edo, Kaoru eyed the city apprehensively. It looked normal, but then, so had Edo.

"Is it…?" she trailed off. Kenshin understood, though. He shook his head.

"It hasn't been touched by Shishio." The 'yet' at the end of that sentence went unvoiced, but Kaoru could hear it nonetheless. She walked around Kenshin, and led the way into the city.

"Follow me. I know the way to where the King will be." Kenshin fell in behind her as she made her way down to the city. Unlike Edo, Kyoto was open to its surroundings, unenclosed by walls. The two of them walked right into its streets.

The main thoroughfare was quite crowded, and though the sudden press of people after so long being solitary (almost) in the countryside gave Kaoru a shock, she gamely wound her way through the milling mass to a side alley. She glanced back to see if Kenshin had made it through with her, and, seeing that he had, walked briskly down the alley to the opening into the next street. This one was much less busy than the one they'd left behind, and they made their way easily down it.

Kaoru led Kenshin down several other alleys and backways, over a couple bridges, and into the more sedate part of town. This area was less crowded, with respect to both people and buildings. Kaoru paid little attention to their surroundings, though Kenshin's eyes flicked over everything watchfully. Kaoru stopped in front of the entrance to one building.

"Here," she said, her voice carefully neutral. Her face was expressionless as she gestured to the entrance. Kenshin glanced at the sign on one side of the doors. _Kamiya Dojo._ He glanced back at Kaoru.

"This is…" he said quietly. Kaoru glanced at the sign, too.

"This was my father's _dojo_." Kaoru confirmed. "I studied _Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū _here, until I left to join the Messengers. When my father died, he left it to me, with the written wish that I return and begin teaching my family's sword techniques. I couldn't desert my duties, though. And rather than selling or neglecting the _dojo_, I handed it over to the King. He let it stand as it had, kept up the appearance of it being a _dojo_, but used it as a secret waystation for the Messengers and… others."

"…Others…" Kenshin murmured, clearly understanding that the word was a euphemism for the sorts of people who used the waystation besides the Messengers. Kaoru didn't seem to hear him, though, as she stared bleakly at the sign.

"It killed my father that I 'deserted' the _dojo_ to go become a Messenger. Tomoe had already left to offer her service to the King; there was no need for me to do so as well. He thought I was turning my back on him and on his teachings," Kaoru admitted. "I don't think he understood quite how I felt."

"I see," Kenshin said, and Kaoru believed that he did. She bowed her head briefly, tucking her past away in the back of her mind. She looked back up at the _dojo_ door.

"Well." she said, and then knocked on the wood with her fist. After a few moments, the door swung open a crack and a wary face looked out at them. The dark eyes set deep in the face widened at the sight of Kaoru. The door swung the rest of the way open and a hand beckoned them in.

"Kamiya! You're alive! Katsura-sama had nearly given up hope! Come in, come in!"

"Oiji!" Kaoru cried happily, she threw herself at the burly man, arms encircling his thick neck in a friendly embrace. Kenshin slid inside past them, and Oiji elbowed the door shut, patting Kaoru gently on the back with his other ham-like hand. She let him go and stepped back to look him in the face solemnly. "Is it very bad?"

Oiji hesitated, his answer written on his face. Kaoru's face fell and she whispered, "Oh."

She seemed to fight her emotions for a moment but when she spoke again, her voice was steady. "I need to report. Where is the King?"

Oiji's eyes flicked behind her to settle on Kenshin, who was standing in the shadows by the door. Kaoru glanced back to follow his gaze. "He can be trusted, else I would not have brought him with me."

"The King is inside, in the back room," Oiji replied immediately, obviously trusting Kaoru's word. Kaoru nodded, touched Oiji's shoulder, and gave Kenshin a look- _follow me_- before moving toward the _dojo_ building. She led the way unerringly to the back room, passing a few maids and samurai along the way, some of which gave her friendly nods. Kaoru nodded back, but she did not stop to speak to anybody, intent only upon going before her liege.

The _shoji_ to the back room was flanked by two samurai. They watched Kaoru and Kenshin warily as the two dusty travelers approached. As soon as they were close enough Kaoru removed her katana from her _hakama _ties, set it in the sword rack graciously provided nearby, and said: "Messenger Kamiya to report to the King."

"Let us see your token, Messenger Kamiya," replied one of the samurai. Kaoru fished a small metal medallion that hung on a string around her neck from under her _gi_. She held it out to the samurai. He looked at it closely, and passed the blade of the _naginata_ in his hand over it. The eyes of the crane carved in the medallion glowed white a moment before fading. The samurai nodded and waved Kaoru on. When Kenshin made to follow, however, the two samurai blocked his path with their crossed _naginata_. Kenshin tensed, and Kaoru hurriedly spoke for him.

"He accompanies me," she even managed to sound firm, authoritative.

"No weapons are to be taken before the King," protested the spokesman. Kenshin remained motionless for a breath, before he deigned to remove his katana and set it on the sword rack. The samurai still hesitated, eyeing Kenshin, but they withdrew their weapons and allowed the redhead to pass. The second samurai, who had not spoken, slid open the _shoji_. Kaoru took a deep breath and stepped inside.

There were two more samurai guarding the entrance on the other side, and three other warriors were seated behind a black-haired man who sat on a dais across the room. A large gold disc that hung from his neck bore the same crane image as Kaoru's token. The Royal Crest. Kaoru bowed as she stood just inside the door, then walked decorously up to the foot of the dais. There she bowed again, this time going down to her hands and knees and touching her forehead to the _tatami _covering the floor Kenshin mimicked her movements at her side.

"Katsura-sama," Kaoru said as she lifted her head. She spoke the formal words of a Messenger to the King: "Will you hear my report?"

"You may speak, Kaoru," the King replied. She bowed again, her stiffly formal bearing somewhat at odds with the King's casual, familiar address. She straightened from her bow, settling back with her legs tucked beneath her. Opening her mouth, she began to tell Katsura what had occurred, starting with the last time she had report to him and going though every significant event that had occurred since. She kept steady even as she recounted the death of Tomoe, though she paused once or twice.

"We had heard of Messenger Tomoe's death," Katsura said gently in the first of those pauses. "It was a grievous blow, made even more so because we had no news of your fate, and had thought the Messengers finished."

"Messenger Tomoe gave her life so that one of us might escape to report to you, Sire," Kaoru said.

"We will pay the proper respects to her spirit," Katsura replied. Kenshin sat quietly throughout Kaoru's report, watching the King and taking note of every expression, gesture, or twitch he made. The King's dark eyes watched Kaoru with a sort of tenderness. Here was a ruler who actually _saw_ his subjects, who ruled _for _them, not over them. He truly cared about his Messengers.

Kaoru kept talking, until she reached the point when she had met Kenshin. Here she paused, hesitated, wondered how to word what had happened.

"I… met my companion here, Himura Kenshin, in the field… He… I…" she trailed off. She thought: _'How much should I say? Will Katsura-sama believe me? How much does Kenshin want known?'_

She was saved the trouble of figuring out the answers, because Kenshin stepped in then, so to speak. Bowing, he drew the King's attention to him.

"My lord," Kenshin said in his emotionless voice, "I was bound by a geas to the hill and the battlefield. Messenger Kamiya released me, and I swore life-debt to her. I accompanied her to pay off that debt, and to swear my service to you. I was a King's man before I was bespelled on that hill, and I consider myself one still."

The sharp eyes of the King looked over Kenshin slowly, lingering on the red hair and cross-shaped scar. Katsura said: "You… You are the _Hitokiri Battōsai_, aren't you?"

Kenshin could feel Kaoru jerk in surprise next to him. He lifted his amber eyes to meet the dark ones of the King.

"I was called that, a great many years ago," he agreed.

* * *

_TERMS_

_ Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū- the sword technique that Kaoru's father created and of which she is a disciple. Translated it means 'the sword that protects.'_

_ Dojo- a building where a martial art it taught._

_Shoji- sliding doors, made out of wood and paper._

_Gi- Loose shirt worn by samurai._

_naginata- a Japanese pole-arm with a long curved blade._

_tatami- woven straw mats._

_Hitokiri Battōsai - a nickname for an assassin. Hitokiri means 'human slayer' while Battōsai is compounded of Battō which means 'sword drawing' and refers to the martial art of Battōjutsu (a technique which requires unsheathing and striking with a sword in one fluid motion) and the suffix –sai which is added to pen names or professional working names._


	6. Chapter 6: Second Opinion

_ Right, so… I haven't been getting email notices for reviews though there have been some, so I'm wondering if there was a break-down in communication in the other direction as well. So._

_NOTE--- This is the second chapter I've posted in 2007. So if you haven't read the previous one, you might want to do that._

_Anywho, one more thing: The verses Kaoru remembers in the beginning here are from a sort of ballad-poem I wrote about Rurouni Kenshin. The full thing is posted here on if you're interested in reading the whole thing (it's relatively short) it's listed on my profile._

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Kaoru fought the urge to jump to her feet and gape at Kenshin, but she managed to remain seated and listen to what was said. But her thoughts raced wildly. Kenshin was _Hitokiri Battōsai_! But she'd thought the Manslayer was only a legend, hundreds of years old…

And yet, there was Kenshin, five hundred plus years old, and Death on swift feet. Suddenly Kaoru's mind was filled with the stories and songs of the legendary swordsman.

_'"As I stood frozen he perceived I was there/ And fixed me in place with his hot yellow glare,"' _Kaoru looked at Kenshin. _'Hot yellow glare… check. Though it usually chills rather than burns… I _have_ seen his gold eyes burn with fury, though.'_

"It is perhaps wise to not call me by that name now. It would not be received well by some," Kenshin was telling Katsura. The King nodded agreement and understanding.

"Yes, I suppose some would be discomfited with the idea of the most deadly assassin of the Bakumatsu walking the streets of Kyoto," he mused. Kenshin inclined his head.

"There is that, but I also meant Shishio. I have had some…" here Kenshin paused "…altercations with him, and he may take exception to the fact that I am no longer bound to my hill."

"You don't mean to tell me that the Shishio who is now threatening my rule is the same sorcerer Shishio from the legends?" Katsura exclaimed, leaning back with a look of disbelief on his youthful face. Kenshin nodded solemnly.

"Yes. It is true. When we last fought, I gravely wounded Shishio, forcing him to go into hiding for all this time to heal and rebuild his powers. In the same battle, Shishio cast a geas upon me."

Katsura was silent for a long moment, thinking. Then he looked up. "So would this mean that you have some knowledge of how to defeat Shishio? Would you be able to cast him down in a second battle?"

"I know Shishio," Kenshin said. His eyes whirled bright yellow. "And I will kill him."

Kaoru suppressed a shiver at his tone. But she didn't let it distract her from the matter at hand. She spoke up: "I also lay claim to Shishio's life. He has taken nearly everything from me, and I want retribution."

Katsura studied the two vassals before him, solemnly. He captured Kaoru's gaze with his, reading what he saw in her sapphire eyes. His expression shifted slightly, so it seemed almost melancholy.

"Very well. I recognize your claims, and I sanction them. You have my leave to hunt him," the King said. That was a dismissal if Kaoru ever heard one. She bowed low again, and stood with Kenshin beside her.

"Messenger Kamiya," said Katsura softly as Kaoru turned to leave. She glanced back at him. "It joys me that you are alive. You were the youngest Messenger, newly come to your position. I am glad that you, at least, survived."

Kaoru bowed in reply, not trusting her voice. Tears pricked her eyes. She and Kenshin left the room, collecting their swords once they were outside.

"I was eleven when I came to Katsura-sama to swear my service to him. That was five years younger than the required age for becoming a Messenger, but he did not turn me away. Instead, he made me his personal runner, and I delivered messages within the palace and the capital city for him until I was old enough to be a Messenger." Kaoru informed Kenshin quietly as they walked slowly into the back courtyard of the _dojo_. She put her hands on the edge of the well, leaning against the wood. "He was… so kind to me. It was as if I had been a younger sister to him, rather than just some stranger."

"I can understand how you feel," Kenshin replied. Kaoru looked at him. "I was very young when I entered the service of my King. I was only fifteen when I received the name _Hitokiri Battōsai_. The King… had treated me with a kindness outside of the normal deference of ruler to subordinate as well."

"How old are you now?" Kaoru asked before she could think better of it.

"I am not sure. I was not… myself near the end. I no long paid attention to the passage of time." Kenshin paused. "I think I am twenty-four."

_'Was not himself? What does that mean?' _Kaoru blinked, but her thoughts were shattered by a shout from behind them.

"Missy!" Kaoru span, and was bolting across the courtyard in a flash. She leapt gleefully into the outstretched arms of the tall, brown-haired man who'd shouted.

"Sano!" she cried happily. The tall man- Sano?- laughed and caught her easily. Kenshin blinked at the sight of the red headband that stood out against Sano's spiky brown hair. But, giving his head an imperceptible shake, he uneasily dismissed it as coincidence.

"_Jou-chan_!" Sano said, face shining. "You're alive!"

"Yes…" she sighed. "Only barely. It's really thanks to Kenshin that I made it back."

Sano looked up and met Kenshin's gaze. Carefully, Sano detached Kaoru from around his neck, and approached Kenshin. After inspecting the shorter man with thoughtful brown eyes, Sano bowed solemnly. "I thank you for accompanying the little Missy here back."

"I owe her a great deal," Kenshin said, bowing back. Sano suddenly grinned, and glanced back at Kaoru.

"Really? So do I. Don't worry, she'll definitely make you pay."

"Your debts to me are a little different, Sagara Sanosuke," Kaoru replied severely. "You've mooched food off of me for years."

"Just the three years you've been a Messenger!" protested Sanosuke, and ducked as Kaoru took a swing at his head with her fist. Kenshin watched their antics with a straight face, but then he stiffened, as Sano twisted to avoid Kaoru and turned his back to the swordsman.

The red strip of cloth tied around the tall man's head coupled with the symbol painted on the back of his jacket were too obvious a sign for Kenshin. _Sekihōtai_. The unofficial army that Kenshin's liege-lord had effectively condemned when he refused to send reinforcements when the army's need was greatest. The survivors had not looked favourably toward the King. If Sanosuke was a descendant of one of those survivors, what was he doing in the court of the King?

When Kaoru noticed that Kenshin's shoulders were tense and his eyes a pale gold (a colour she was beginning to associate with Kenshin at his most dangerous) she froze in her tracks. Sano halted in his flight from her wrath, glanced over at the redhead, and paled. Even not being familiar with Kenshin and Kenshin's expressions, Sano knew danger when he saw it.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru said hesitantly. A shiver ripped through Kenshin's body as he growled.

"_Sekihōtai_," he said. Sano tensed at Kenshin's low and angry tone. "What business have you in the court of the King?"

"Katsura-sama has paid full respects to the _Sekihōtai_ and has made amends with the descendants," Sano said slowly and carefully. "Our King is great and wise; he has unified much of the country and forged alliances with all the groups estranged in the past. For this I have sworn myself to him. I am a King's Guard and I take great pride in this and I do not take my duty lightly."

"The survivors of the _Sekihōtai_ opposed the King, and would attack his vassals whenever the opportunity arose," Kenshin said, still doubtful.

"That was centuries ago," Kaoru reminded Kenshin urgently.

"Katsura-sama has assuaged the injuries dealt to the _Sekihōtai_. I have no reason to wish harm to him," Sano reassured Kenshin. The redhead was slowly relaxing, but he still looked uncertain.

"You are… sworn to the King?" Kenshin asked haltingly. Sano nodded.

_'For the sake of… It's like dealing with a wild animal,' _Kaoru thought, watching the feral gleam dim in Kenshin's eyes.

"I… forgive me," Kenshin said stiffly. He knew that oaths taken before the King or to the King were powerful and binding, carrying more weight than just the words' meaning. There was Lesser Magic in those oaths; to break them was to risk one's own life.

"No harm done," Sano said, almost as stiffly. Then his expression eased and he added: "It's kind of… reassuring… that you are so defensive of Katsura-sama."

"Sagara-sempai?" A junior Guard looked around the corner of the _dojo_. "A man who says his name is Tsunan is at the back gate asking for you."

"Aya! I'd forgotten I'd told him to come by!" Sano clapped a hand to his forehead theatrically. He placed that hand then on Kaoru's head, looking down at her as she tipped her head up at him. "Try not to get into any life-or-death situations anytime soon, hey?"

Kaoru scowled. "Get lost, Rooster-head."

He grinned, patted her head, and was gone. Kaoru looked at Kenshin warily from the corner of her eye. He looked calm…er. That was a close call. Kaoru was afraid of just how close Kenshin had gotten to killing Sanosuke.

_'Why is nothing ever simple and straight-forward in my life?' _She wondered plaintively. _'Couldn't I have released a _sane_ swordsman from a geas instead?'_

She sighed. "I need to go see the healer. You can come, if you like. Or you could ask one of the maids to prepare a room for you."

There was a pause as Kenshin thought. Then, tucking his hands into his sleeves comfortably, he said: "I will accompany you."

"As you like," Kaoru shrugged. She walked around the _dojo_ to one of the east-facing rooms. Opening the _shoji,_ Kaoru glanced around eagerly. Upon spotting a dark-haired woman in one of the corners of the room, her face lit up.

"Megumi!" The dark-haired woman turned, saw Kaoru, and smiled.

"Kaoru! You're alive!"

"That I am," Kaoru replied. "But I'd like you to take a look at a wound I received a while ago… It's not too bad, but it's not healing as it should."

"Must you _always_ be injured whenever I see you, _tanuki_?" Megumi asked, exasperated. Kaoru blushed.

"Er…"

"Nevermind; sit down," the healer waved vaguely. Kaoru sat, and as she did so, Kenshin edged a little further into the room. Megumi looked at him speculatively.

"And you are…?" she drawled, lifting one perfectly shaped eyebrow. Kaoru glanced up at her tone, noting the way Megumi eyed Kenshin.

"Kenshin, Tanaki Megumi. Megumi, Himura Kenshin," Kaoru said, and nearly choked as she registered the tone of her own voice.

_'Shit! I am _not _going to get all jealous and territorial!'_

"Hmmm," said Megumi with a knowing look at Kaoru. "And are you wounded as well?'

"No. I am uninjured," Kenshin replied quietly. Kaoru fought off the blush as Megumi's eyes flicked between the two of them.

"Then please be sure to stay out of my way as I work," the healer finally said. Kenshin shifted so that he was tucked against the wall, well out of the way of everything. Megumi turned to Kaoru, who slipped one arm out of her _gi_ to reveal the wound. She felt a little self-conscious doing so, even though she knew that only her shoulder and arm were revealed; the other side of her _gi _and the cloth binding her chest covered everything else.

"When did you receive this wound?" Megumi asked, taking Kaoru's upper arm in her hand gently. There was a linen bandage wound around the arm just above her grip.

"Um… When… when I first escaped Shishio and his men," Kaoru replied, grimacing as Megumi unwound the bandage. She tried not to think too hard about the circumstances which had led to her receiving the slash on her shoulder.

The wound, which had not healed completely even though it had been many days since it was slashed into her skin, broke open when Megumi pulled the linen away. The healer hissed softly as she saw the wound and the blood that seeped from it. Against the opposite wall, Kenshin went rigid, head lifting and eyes flashing. In the space of an eye-blink, he crossed the room, neatly shouldered Megumi out of the way, and seized Kaoru's arm in a grip like iron. She flinched back automatically.

"What do you think you're doing?!" said Megumi, furiously.

"That hurts!" Kaoru protested over Megumi's outburst, wincing as Kenshin squeezed the flesh around the wound with cold fingers. Blood oozed out, dripping down the bare flesh of her arm. Kenshin didn't seem to pay attention to her, staring down at the wound with cold eyes. He lifted his other hand and touched the tips of two fingers to the blood, and put them to his lips. Kaoru watched, feeling almost as if she were in a trance, as he smelled her blood and tasted it. Confused into silence, Megumi stood with one finger raised and her mouth open in the middle of a rant.

"What…?" Kaoru started.

"Why did you not tell me you were injured?" Kenshin demanded, his fingers tightening around Kaoru's arm. She winced, looking pointedly at his hand.

"It wasn't important!" she said. "The wound wasn't serious, even though it wouldn't heal all the way. I thought I'd just keep it bandaged and then see a healer when I got back!"

"There's no healer that can help you in this! This wound was inflicted by Shishio; it is poisoned by his magic!" Kenshin snapped, his words like a slap in Kaoru's face. She stared at him with frightened eyes. "You need a wizard to treat this wound."

"What?" Kaoru said, "What?!"

* * *

_TERMS_

_ Dojo- a building where a martial art it taught._

_jou-chan- means 'little missy' essentially. Sano's fond nickname for Kaoru._

_ Sekihōtai - The Sekihōtai fought for the imperial alliance at the end of the Tokugawa regime. However, the Meiji government accused the Sekihōtai of impersonating the imperial army and spreading false allegations about low rice prices. This setup was engineered by Shindō Tatewaki, a former officer in the imperial alliance. The Sekihōtai were designated scapegoats and to be executed._

_Shoji- sliding doors, made out of wood and paper._

_Tanuki- 'raccoon-dog.'_


	7. Chapter 7: The Wizard

_ Another chapter. Guess who we're gonna meet in this one!! Heh heh…_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"This wound is beyond the skill of any healer. Only a wizard may counter the magic working in it," Kenshin told Kaoru. She stared at him in terror.

"A-and i-if I don't find a w-wizard?" she asked waveringly.

"You die." Kenshin's voice was flat and matter-of-fact.

"Now wait just a second!" Megumi seemed to have found her tongue again. "What do _you_ know of this? You're just-"

"I was touched by Shishio's magic as well; I know the stench!" Kenshin snapped at the healer. Kaoru thought vaguely that this was the most emotional she'd ever heard the redhead get. Megumi blinked at him.

"So I need to find a wizard," Kaoru said, regaining some of her composure. _'Thank the stars I was trained to control my emotions!'_

Kenshin moved his glare from Megumi to Kaoru. She met it unflinchingly. "Where am I going to find one?"

Kenshin hesitated, his grip loosening on her arm. "There is one… just outside the city…"

"Here? Kyoto?" Kaoru exclaimed, surprised. What luck!

"Yes. But… I am not sure he will see you. He has… become a hermit, of a sort," Kenshin replied. Kaoru wilted a bit, before she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin.

"Well, I've got to try, anyway."

Kenshin nodded curtly, and released her arm completely, backing up. "I can lead you there."

Kaoru gave him a look, curious and thoughtful. Kenshin turned to exit the room. Just inside the door, he said, by way of explanation: "He was once my master."

Kaoru gaped after him, tongue-tied with surprise. Megumi moved in to dress her wound, lips set in a thin line.

"Master?" Kaoru managed to gasp. "What the hell?"

_'Is Kenshin a wizard? But no, he fought against Shishio using a katana, not magic… Kenshin's master… Just how old is this guy going to be?! Lets see… Kenshin was trapped for five hundred twenty-three years, and before that he was an assassin for several years. So his master would have to be… er….' _Kaoru gave up trying to figure it out, and wailed mentally: _'Why me? What gods did I irritate that I'm being punished with this insanity?'_

"I don't trust him," Megumi said, briskly wiping some sort of herbal paste over the slash in Kaoru's arm. "He's not telling you everything. He's so full of secrets and anger I'm surprised he hasn't burst, or rotted from the inside out."

"I have no choice but to let him lead me to this wizard," Kaoru said resignedly. "I'm not too keen on dying anytime soon."

Megumi looked up at Kaoru's face quickly. "Oh no, I didn't mean…"

"I know," Kaoru rotated her arm and flexed the muscles as Megumi tied off the bandage. Perfect, as usual. Not too tight, not too loose. "Thanks."

"Try not to be injured the next time I see you," said Megumi dryly. "I swear, between you and Rooster-head…"

"Oh I know you enjoy fussing over Sano's wounds," Kaoru said slyly. "You_ kitsune_."

Megumi blushed lightly, and swatted at the younger woman, driving her to the door. "Out! Out! You silly little girl!"

Kaoru smiled and fled.

)0(

Katsura touched his fingers to his lips thoughtfully. "So you need to leave to find this wizard so he can heal this… cursed wound."

"Yes, Katsura-sama," Kaoru replied, bowing.

"And if you don't, you'll die."

"Yes." Kaoru kept her head low. Katsura paused and then asked:

"Of course you have my leave to go. Would you like a guard escort?"

"No, I thank you, Katsura-sama. Kenshin will accompany me. He is guard enough, and we will want to be as inconspicuous as possible," Kaoru replied.

"Very well," the King said. "Go, and make haste. It would not do for me to lose my only Messenger so soon after regaining her."

Kaoru looked up at his face and smiled.

"No, my liege. Nor would it do for me to die now after fighting so hard to return to you."

Kaoru was filled with the conviction that she would return, healed, to her King even if she had to blackmail and connive to get the wizard to help her. She walked with a determined stride alongside Kenshin as they left the Kamiya Dojo

"What was your master's name?" Kaoru asked the stoic red-head.

"Seijurō Hiko," Kenshin replied shortly, "the Thirteenth."

They walked in silence to the edge of town, and then Kenshin began to lead them into the woods that surrounded the city. It was beginning to get dark, and Kaoru made sure to stick close to Kenshin. If she lost sight of him, she'd have no hope of finding the wizard.

They'd gone pretty far, in Kaoru's opinion, when Kenshin suddenly halted. Kaoru looked around, confused. It certainly didn't look like there was anybody nearby, even a wizard, and there wasn't anything blocking the way…

"I can go no farther. My _shishou_ has put up a barrier, one that I cannot cross. You must continue on your own."

"He shut you out?" Kaoru asked, surprised. What had Kenshin done that his master shielded himself against him?

"Not me specifically," Kenshin shook his head. "The barrier works against those with power or who had touched power."

"I see," Kaoru replied, though she didn't exactly. Kenshin stepped to the side, and made a tiny gesture with his hand.

"There are no directions I can give you, but you will not become lost." Kenshin paused, then:

"I will wait for you here," he promised. Kaoru met his eyes, and nodded. Walking on, crossing the invisible barrier, Kaoru left Kenshin behind. Some sixth sense guided her down a specific path. Though she could see no directional markers or anything that really defined the thing as a path, her feet moved down it unerringly. She walked… and walked… and walked.

_'Where the bloody hell is this wizard? This Seijurō_ _Hiko?'_ Kaoru wondered in exasperation. _'I've been walking forever, it seems!'_

She brushed aside the branches of a bush. _'I don't think Kenshin would have lied about him being here. I… trust Kenshin. He's not the sort to trick a person like this. And besides, why would _anybody_ pull something like this? There'd be no point.'_

She walked some more. _'I wonder what Kenshin was learning from Seijurō_ _… Magic or _kendo_?'_

Kaoru blinked in the dimness of the moonless night. There were three lumps up ahead. One was big enough to be a (small-ish) dwelling, and shaped about right too. The second largest lump could be a bath-house, and the smallest lump… Well, it was oddly shaped, and too small to be a building. Perhaps a small outdoor oven? It was pale in the darkness, and almost smooth-looking; the texture seemed to be all wrong for it to be stone…

"You seem to have accompanied my fool of an apprentice here." The deep voice startled Kaoru, but considering what he'd said, she had a pretty good idea who it was who had spoken. But how did he know Kenshin had led her here? Kaoru looked behind her, confused. Had he followed her to the home, despite what he'd said about barriers? No… Kenshin was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you… Seijurō Hiko?" Kaoru questioned. Had the wizard known they were coming? Had his barriers informed him, or did he know through some other arcane methods?

"I am." The smallest lump stirred. It was not an oven, or a building, or even a rock. It was a man; a very tall and broad-shouldered man, Kaoru realized as he stood to his full height. The pale colour proved to be from the white cloak he had draped over his shoulders. He turned to look at her. She fought the urge to fidget. The wizard seemed to be waiting for her to do something. Oh, right… She hadn't introduced herself.

"I'm Kamiya Kaoru, King's Messenger," she said, "I… um…"

"Greeting, Kamiya Kaoru, King's Messenger. And just why do you seek me out, smelling of hostile magic?" Seijurō asked.

_'Well, he doesn't miss much,'_ Kaoru thought dimly.

"I was attacked and nearly killed by the sorcerer Shishio. A, um, friend told me that you might be able to heal the magicked wound I'd received in the attack," she replied, flushing. It seemed terribly precocious to have come to ask that, now.

"Are you so close to my _baka deshi_, then, that you call him 'friend'?"

"Oh, er… Well, no. But I don't know quite what else to call him…" Kaoru stammered, and then she found herself spilling the whole story to the imposing man whom Kenshin had called '_shishou_.'

After she had finished, there was a pause from Seijurō.

"An interesting story," he said finally. He motioned toward her. "Let me see the wound."

Kaoru nearly let out a sigh of relief, and approached him. A globe of bluish light flicked into existence over their heads, beginning as a mere pinprick of light and growing to a melon-sized ball. Seijurō looked at the slash as Kaoru unbound it, touching the skin over the wound, to the side of the wound, and then pressing cool fingers to the wound itself. Kaoru inspected the wizard as he inspected her arm.

He didn't look old, not at all. He looked to be only in his thirties, with dark hair, sharp eyes, and muscular build. His craggy face was unlined by age. It was a rather obvious manifestation of Seijurō's status as a wizard.

"Hold your arm out away from your body," he ordered, taking a bottle from where it hung at his waist. As Kaoru did as he said, he uncorked it. Kaoru heard the liquid inside slosh quietly. Then he poured it over the wound, and Kaoru had to bit her tongue to keep from yelping. It stung! Was that _sake_ he was pouring over her arm? Kaoru gritted her teeth.

Seijurō corked the bottle, set it down, and took Kaoru's arm in one hand. With the first two fingers of his other hand, he pressed down on one side of the wound, and smoothed his fingers over the slash to the other side. Kaoru watched in fascination, for, as he dragged his fingers over the wound, it closed. Smooth, unbroken skin was left behind in the wake of his touch.

Finished, the wizard grunted and dropped her arm. "You didn't complain or curse. Good. My idiot apprentice would have been whining to no end."

"What? Kenshin? _Whining_?" Kaoru blurted. Seijurō sat down on the log he'd been on when Kaoru had first arrived.

"He was a whiny little brat when I was training him," he grunted.

"He… he's very… different now," Kaoru told Seijurō hesitantly. "Actually, it's kind of strange…"

Seijurō said nothing, but seemed to be attentively listening. Kaoru spoke on: "He'll be acting one way, and then something will happen and he'll start acting in a completely different manner… And his eye-colour changes all the time."

Was it just her imagination, or did Seijurō jerk as she said that?

"His eye-colour changes?" the wizard repeated. Kaoru nodded.

"Yes, one moment it'll be amber and then he'll get really mad and his eyes will go this pale, pale gold. And… once…" Kaoru said haltingly, "his eyes went violet.

"And he doesn't seem to be able to control his anger, either," she continued. "A couple times, he's almost killed me … not to mention a few others. So I… I was wondering: Do you know why he's acting like that?"

Seijurō was silent for a moment. He uncorked his _sake_ bottle and took a drink. "What do you know of Kenshin's past before he was bound by that geas?"

"Well, he was _Hitokiri battōsai_," Kaoru said.

"He was my apprentice, in wizardry and _kendo_. I am the master of _Hiten Mitsurugi- Ryū_, the style of swordsmanship that combines the working of magic with sword fighting. Kenshin studied both for a couple years after the death of his family. But Kenshin was bitter because neither my magic nor his had been able save his parents and sister. He forsook his wizardry, giving up the power in a sloppy last spell. He was left with his sword-skill, which was admittedly great. Normally no one without magic could perform the moves of _Hiten Mitsurugi- Ryū_, but Kenshin had been a wizard. Even though he'd given up his power, it left an indelible mark on him. His speed and awareness were still much greater than a normal human's, and so he was able to continue using the style of swordsmanship I had taught him," Seijurō paused, took another drink, and continued. "Then came the day when the news of Shishio came. Kenshin wanted to help fight against the sorcerer; he wanted me to use my magic to defeat Shishio. When I told him I could not, he became angry. Kenshin left, without completing his training in _Hiten Mitsurugi- Ryū_, and swore his service to the King."

"You couldn't use your magic against Shishio?" Kaoru asked. She had seated herself on the ground nearby as Seijurō had talked. She looked up at him attentively.

"No. You see, Shishio used his magic _against _people. That is why he is called a sorcerer, rather than a wizard. Wizards use their magic _for _people;_ I_ use my magic for people. If I used it against Shishio, I would become no better than he. I would become a sorcerer as well, and the balance of power would be destroyed, and the world would become twisted and chaotic."

"Oh." Kaoru said, eyes very wide. She hadn't known that. In fact, she barely knew anything about the Greater Magicks. Just goes to show you, what you don't know _could_ kill you.

"The most I can do is provide protection for those who would oppose him," Seijurō said. Kaoru looked at him sharply. Did he mean what she thought he meant? "I can weave you a charm against deception, if you like. Shishio is well-known for his lies and deceit. To be spelled against such things would be a help, I think."

"Could you, please?" Kaoru said, gratefully. Seijurō inclined his head.

"I will. But later; I have not answered your question yet, have I?

"Kenshin swore himself to the King's service, as an assassin. But Kenshin's mentality could not bear such a moral weight. So he began to distance himself from his emotions. But in doing so, he distanced himself from himself. He lost all sense of identity, becoming nothing more than a deadly puppet. To his credit, the King tried numerous times and methods to draw Kenshin back, but nothing worked. It seemed Kenshin was lost and all that remained was a _hitokiri_. Then Kenshin was bound by that geas and things changed. As a spirit, he was unburdened by any emotions whatsoever. He no longer needed to exert his will to remain unfeeling. His efforts to do so ceased. But then, when you released him from the spell…"

Kaoru looked pale. She whispered: "All those emotions he had held back for so long came back..."

Seijurō nodded. "Yes. His emotions came rushing back, and he was no longer shielded against them. After so long without dealing with such strong feelings, they are overwhelming him."

* * *

_TERMS_

_kendo- "The way of the sword" The study of sword-fighting._

_Baka deshi- 'idiot apprentice.' Hiko's favourite term for Kenshin._

_shishou- 'master.'_

_sake- an alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice._

_Hitokiri Battōsai - a nickname for an assassin. Hitokiri means 'human slayer' while Battōsai is compounded of Battō whish means 'sword drawing' and refers to the martial art of Battōjutsu (a technique which requires unsheathing and striking with a sword in one fluid motion) and the suffix –sai which is added to pen names or professional working names._

_ Hiten Mitsurugi- Ryū_- _ancient sword style that is said to pit one against many. It is a sword art that is passed from master to apprentice, its masters inheriting the name of Hiko Seijurō. There are quite a few techniques within this sword style, all of them utilizing godlike speed and precision._


	8. Chapter 8: Violet for Humanity

_ Movin' right along… Please read and review!_

_Oh yeah and **PLEASE NOTE**: I've scrambled the locations of things in my story. Just cuz I wanted too and because now you guys can't have any hints as to when you'll run into another canon character! Mwahaha! No more going 'hey we're in Kyoto, we'll probably run into Misao and the Oniwaban now!' Oh no, I want more unpredictable-ness._

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"So… he can't…" Kaoru choked out. All those times when he seemed to be on the edge… he was having to battle the feelings that threatened to take over?

"His eyes change colour according to his mood, I believe," Seijurō said. "I expect this is a relic from his time as a wizard. To be a wizard is to have the power to influence and alter one's surroundings. Even though the _baka_ repudiated his power, some of it still remains in his heart. It manifests in small ways, one of which is in his eye colour. He unconsciously alters the colour of his eyes according to his emotions. When he became the _Battōsai_, his eyes turned gold. But before he shut his emotions away, his eyes were violet."

"Violet for humanity…" Kaoru murmured. Her mind turned to the past.

_'"Did I kill someone?"' _she recalled how Kenshin had acted after she'd prevented him from killing that bandit, and how his eyes had been violet. She was silent, thinking this revelation through.

"You'll have to help him," Seijurō said. "He's not as invulnerable as he would have you think."

"Me?" she echoed, eyebrows rising.

"Yes. It is obvious he will respond to you," Seijurō said in a slightly off-hand manner. Kaoru's eyebrows rose further. Seijurō noticed, and explained: "He brought you to me, when nothing else has ever gotten him this close to my influence."

_'I hadn't considered that,'_ Kaoru thought. But she wasn't sure she believed him. Kenshin never seemed to care all that much about her. If it weren't for that life-debt… Oh. Wait… By her count, Kenshin had already dispelled that. Twice. Well, then, if it weren't for her being in the service if the King, he certainly wouldn't have stuck around for so long.

"But now I will set the charm on you… if you're still willing?" Kaoru shook herself and nodded to Seijurō. "Right. You'll have to stand."

Kaoru stood and waited. Seijurō stood as well.

"Close your eyes. And try not to flinch."

Try not to what? What was he going to…? Kaoru's brow furrowed.

Seijurō pulled out a katana from his voluminous cloak. Kaoru's eyes went so wide, it seemed almost as if they would fall out of her head.

"What are you…?" she said warily.

"Don't complain," the wizard grunted. Slowly, Kaoru forced her eyes closed, scrunching them closed tight. Her hands curled into fists at her sides.

_'Oh please don't let him kill me…' _she begged whatever deity would listen. _'But he _is_ a master swordsman…'_

She felt the air stir around her head, and a slight pain on each ear and eyelid. Then a cool liquid splashed over her head.

"The hell?!" she sputtered.

"Hold still!" said Seijurō sternly. She obeyed. There was a flush of heat that traveled from her toes to the top of her head, and then it faded and the wizard said: "It's finished."

Kaoru opened her eyes carefully, touching her ears and then her clothes. She was completely dry! She looked up at Seijurō. "What did you do to me?"

"I nicked your ears and eyelids and then poured _sake_ over you."

"What does that do?" she asked, in curiosity.

"Cutting your eyes and ears opens your body to the power of the spell. The _sake _conducts the power," the wizard said. "I am powerful enough to do it without the _sake_, but that wouldn't have been as amusing as seeing you look like a half-drowned _tanuki_."

Kaoru gaped, too surprised to take offense. "Did… Did you just make a _joke_?"

Seijurō turned, his white cloak rustling quietly. "You should return to my _baka deshi_ before he thinks I've let you die and he tries to do something stupid. He's a stubborn fool, and he always has it in his head that everything's his responsibility."

Seijurō paused and then added: "And tell him… Tell him that I have not yet turned my back on him."

He disappeared into his small house, leaving behind a staggered Kaoru. She blinked after him a few times before turning and walking slowly back. Just like when she was coming, that odd instinct of where to go took over, and led her out. When she left the barrier Seijurō had erected, that _knowing _left her, and she blinked. She looked around as if waking from a dream.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin's quiet voice came from behind her. The sound of her name on his lips made her blush, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Then it hit her, and she stared at him as he emerged from the shadow of the tree beneath which he had been waiting.

"That's… I… That's…" Kaoru closed her mouth, swallowed, and then tried again. "That's the first time you've ever called me by my name."

Kenshin paused mid-step, and then continued until he stood before Kaoru. Even in the low light, Kaoru could make out the dark amber colour of his eyes. _'Dark amber. So he's feeling only moderately murderous.'_

"He healed you?" Kenshin inquired. Kaoru nodded.

"Yes. He healed me and then charmed me against deceit, to give me some protection from Shishio. And…" Kaoru was a little apprehensive about delivering Seijurō's message to his one-time apprentice. "And he said to tell you that… that 'he has not yet turned his back on you.'"

Kenshin was silent, staring at the ground at his feet and then turning his head to look back in the direction his _shishou_'s home. He stared that way for a while, and then turned back to Kaoru.

"Thank you for telling me this," he said gravely. Kaoru fancied that she could see his eyes darken to a muddy mix of gold and violet.

"You're welcome," she replied softly. They began the walk back to Kyoto proper. Kaoru, who had begun to inspect Kenshin a little more closely after hearing what Seijurō had to tell her, noticed that the redhead always made sure he was slightly distanced from her. He really was a loner…

"Kenshin?" she asked. His head turned slightly toward her, enough to indicate he was listening. "You _will _let me help you defeat Shishio, _won't you_?"

Kenshin froze, and then slowly faced Kaoru fully. His expression was closed and wary. "What did he tell you?"

"Huh? I… oh, he didn't tell me much. But… he did say you were a stubborn fool who always had it in his head that everything was his responsibility." Kaoru looked at Kenshin solemnly. "You have to let me help. This is not just your fight."

"I disagree," Kenshin said. "But-"

Kaoru seized Kenshin's arm, eyes flashing. "You _have _to let me help! Or I'll… I'll crack you over the head with my katana and leave you trussed hand and foot while _I _go after Shishio myself!"

Kenshin whirled, his arm somehow twisting from Kaoru's grip, and brought his face aggressively close to hers.

"You wouldn't dare," he hissed. Kaoru jerked her head back, eyes wide. Then she set her jaw and went nose-to-nose with him.

"Oh yes I would!" she growled right back at him. "He killed my sister, he killed the Messengers- who were like family to me- and he's trying to kill Katsura-sama. I want to make him pay!"

"Going after him alone would be foolish!" Kenshin snapped. "He would kill you easily-"

"Excuse me, but I'm not some helpless waif! I wouldn't die easily!" Kaoru said hotly.

"-or worse, he would enslave you! You think he wouldn't relish the opportunity to turn the last Messenger into his servant? And laugh at the irony of it? The King's last beloved Messenger, a tool bent to Shishio's will." Kenshin continued over her. Kaoru felt the blood drain from her face.

"He can… do that?" she whispered. Kenshin glared at her coldly.

"It is not difficult thing to strip the mind from a body, once its hold is weakened by drugs or pain."

"Pain?" Kaoru asked fearfully. Did that mean what she thought it meant?

"You're strong-willed enough that he would not be able to destroy your mind without also destroying your body. He would have to loosen the bonds between body and mind, either by drugging you or by torturing you so that your mind withdraws from your body to escape the pain." Kenshin didn't even try to soften the blow. He said it all bluntly, his tone allowing for no doubt whatsoever. Kaoru swallowed thickly.

"I…I'll figure something out."

Kenshin snorted in derision. He turned away from her and continued walking back. After a moment, he said, in an ill humor: "You interrupted me before. I was going to say that I would allow you to assist me, but now I think I may just leave you behind."

"I'd follow you somehow," Kaoru grumbled. Kenshin threw her a dark look over his shoulder.

"Yes, you probably would. Which is why I'll likely end up allowing you to accompany me," he muttered. Kaoru felt an odd bubble of happiness rise in her chest at this. He wouldn't leave her behind! Strange… how being allowed a part in a battle would make her so happy…

_'You're a blood-thirsty, vengeful bitch, Kamiya,'_ she told herself. But really, in her heart of hearts, she knew that the thought of being able to get Shishio's blood on her sword wasn't what was making her so happy.

The feeling of silence shifted so that Kaoru was aware of the hesitation on Kenshin's part. There was a sort of tension in the air between them as the swordsman struggled with what he wanted to say. Then, slowly, he spoke: "I… wish to… ask you something."

"Yes?" Her reply was polite, but coldly so. She was still a bit irritated with him for before.

"Why…" Kenshin paused. He looked steadfastly ahead, avoiding her gaze. "Why did you react as you did when you… realized I am _Hitokiri Battōsai_?"

Kaoru could tell that Kenshin was tensed over her response to the question, waiting in tight silence.

_'I'm getting better at reading him,'_ Kaoru thought, then, as the sudden thought struck her: _'Or… he's letting his emotions show a little more…'_

"I'm sorry I jumped," Kaoru apologized sincerely. "I was startled; it hadn't even occurred to me that you were the_ Battōsai_. I hope I didn't insult you."

Kenshin's head came up and he slowed so that they were walking side-by-side. He looked at her incredulously. "Insult me?"

His eyes whirled amber and violet. "You thought you… insulted me? No. I am _surprised_… and confused."

He bowed his head so that his eyes were shadowed. But Kaoru saw his lips twist into a small, bitter smile. "I could not understand why you reacted the way you did. You were surprised. That part did not confuse me… But then you just… dropped the matter. As if it wasn't important!"

"That's because it isn't," Kaoru replied flatly. "You've saved my life several times already. I trust you. You're on my side. I counted you as a comrade before I knew you were _Hitokiri Battōsai_, and that's not going to change just because you have some fancy title to your name now."

"It was more than just a fancy title," Kenshin told her bleakly. "I was forever spattered in blood, forever killing. The name became the truth of what I was."

"But that was centuries ago. You can't seriously tell me you have not changed!" Kaoru protested.

"I am inclined to disagree with you," Kenshin said; the tone of his voice was dead, resigned. Kaoru lifted her chin.

"And yet you keep saying 'was' when you speak of it. So part of you accepts that it was the past and that the present can change," she pointed out. "There's hope for you yet."

Kenshin's rose and he stared at her as if she had just declared something outrageous. Kaoru was struck again by how young and open his face was when not set into a cold frown. She swallowed and wiped suddenly sweaty palms on her _hakama_.

"You-" Kenshin croaked. But then he shook his head and did not continue. Kaoru, much too uncomfortable to trust her voice, let it lie.

* * *

_TERMS_

_Hitokiri Battōsai - a nickname for an assassin. Hitokiri means 'human slayer' while Battōsai is compounded of Battō whish means 'sword drawing' and refers to the martial art of Battōjutsu (a technique which requires unsheathing and striking with a sword in one fluid motion) and the suffix –sai which is added to pen names or professional working names._

_sake- an alcoholic beverage. Made from fermented rice._

_baka deshi- 'idiot apprentice.' Hiko's favourite term for Kenshin._

_shishou- 'master.'_

_tanuki- raccoon-dog_

_hakama- Wide skirted pants worn over the gi._


	9. Chapter 9: CreepyCrawlies

_ H'okay so. Here's the next chapter. Whee, I get to utilize some Japanese folklore, what fun! Anyway… Enjoy and please READ and REVIEW!_

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Upon entering the _dojo_, Kaoru was attacked by a small whirlwind of black, tan, and green. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kenshin's hand grip his katana at the flash of movement.

"You stupid ugly _hag_!" a young voice roared at the top of its formidable lungs. Kaoru huffed in surprise as the whirlwind slammed into her, wrapping arms around her waist and pressing against her in a fierce hug. "D'you wanna explain _why_ I had to find out _from Sano_ that you're alive? And why you left _again_ without _any_ sort of greeting or farewell _at all_?"

"Yahiko?" Kaoru said, letting out a small 'eep' as his arms around her tightened.

"Yes, me! Who else would it be? You've _seen_ everybody else!" the young boy detached himself from her, stepping back to glare at Kaoru with accusing brown eyes.

"I'm sorry Yahiko, things have been kind of… hectic…" Kaoru said sincerely. "It's not that I didn't want to see you!"

"Hmph," Yahiko was not impressed with her apology. He crossed his arms and turned his head to the side to express his displeasure, but caught sight of Kenshin before the stance could have any effect of Kaoru's feelings of guilt. "Hey, who're you?"

Kaoru winced a bit at the belligerent tone of the youth's voice, but Kenshin didn't even seem to blink an eye. The redhead had released his katana hilt some time prior to being spotted, and had his hands folded into the sleeves of his _gi_ as he stepped forward.

"Er… Yahiko, this is Himura Kenshin. Kenshin, this is Myōjin Yahiko," Kaoru said quickly, hoping to prevent any altercations. Yahiko had a gift when it came to being blunt… and rude. She probably shouldn't have even tried, though…

"Are you a samurai?" Yahiko demanded. "If you are, why do you only have one sword? Did you lose the other? You can't be much of a samurai if you lost one of your swords."

"_Yahiko!_" Kaoru hissed. But surprisingly, Kenshin didn't seem to take offense at this.

"I was a _hitokiri_," he replied. Yahiko blinked. "And my _wakizashi_ was broken."

"And lucky for you, too!" Kaoru told Yahiko irritably. She smacked him on top of his messy black hair. "How can you be so _rude_, you little runt?"

"Don't call me a runt!" Yahiko scowled at her and took a swipe at her hand as she moved to smack him again. Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Shouldn't you be training or something? Isn't Sano going to be wondering where you are?"

"Crap!" Yahiko's eyes widened, and he took off. He stopped a couple steps away, and then bolted back, hugging Kaoru around the waist again. He mumbled: "I'm glad you're alright."

"Thanks," she whispered. "I'm glad to see you again."

The boy sprinted away. Kaoru turned back to Kenshin with a small smile on her face. The redhead was watching Yahiko's departure with an inscrutable look.

"He's, um, Sano's nephew. He's training to be a Guard," Kaoru said, feeling suddenly as if she needed to explain the boy's presence.

"He has a strong _ki_," Kenshin replied. "He'll be a good swordsman."

"Oh. Yes…" Kaoru replied, blinking. "Ah, well, um… I'm going to see if there are futons somewhere for us."

"Very well."

)0(

Kaoru was engaged in the most important and life-threatening battle of her life. Well… maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, she allowed. But she really wanted to fall asleep! She'd been lying on her futon, staring up at the ceiling for who-knew-how-long. She was really getting irritated now, and that wasn't helping at all. Kaoru bit back a frustrated sigh and resettled her hands on her stomach.

There was a curl of hair tickling her jaw just under her ear. She brushed the hair away and scratched the itch. She sighed. Why was it that, when she _really _wanted to fall asleep, she was so horribly hyper-aware?

She turned her head slightly to the side to look at the _shoji_ that opened up to the back garden of the _dojo_. The moonlight filtered in dimly. It was a thin crescent moon that night, barely lending enough light to outline the shape of the tree outside the _shoji_.

_'I wonder if Kenshin is asleep,' _Kaoru thought absently. _'I wonder what he's dreaming…'_

She snorted, rolling her eyes at herself. _'You're pathetic, Kamiya.'_

She closed her eyes and tried to quiet her mind and body. But her mind didn't seem to want to cooperate. _'I wonder if he has nightmares? If his emotions are out of control, maybe he does.'_

She tucked her chin under the blanket that covered her. _'What am I going to say to him to get him to let me help him? Seijurō said that I'd be able to… But his thinking that I can doesn't make it any easier. I still have problems talking to Kenshin. And it doesn't help that any conversation we has ends in one of us threatening or insulting the other… Okay, so that's a bit of a generalization but still, it's not that far from the truth. So he'll let me help with Shishio. Big whoop. What about _him_? He needs help with himself.'_

Kaoru was so busy coming up with things to say to Kenshin that she didn't realize she'd fallen asleep.

)0(

The Messengers were the King's trusted couriers and, as the occasion called for it, spies. Their job was to carry messages and information across the realm, bringing news and royal proclamations to the _daimyo _of the country, and responses and information to the King. Unfortunately, not all messages were received with good humor, and besides the threat of dying at the hands of an irate _daimyo_, many of the roads leading to the outer provinces were prowled by bandits and cutthroats. The life of a Messenger was wrought with danger, and thus much of their training was concerned with teaching them how to survive.

So Kaoru knew to pay attention when her subconscious catapulted her into abrupt and complete wakefulness well before dawn. Her eyes snapped open in the darkness, but she remained motionless under her blanket. Straining her ears, Kaoru listening for what had awakened her. For a long while, all that she heard was the wind through tree branches and the other little sounds of night. But her instincts and her training were nearly screaming at her, telling her that there was something wrong. Kaoru's hand crept to the hilt of the katana that lay at her side.

There was a slight sound from the hall, and Kaoru sat up swiftly as the _fusuma_ leading to it silently opened, revealing a shadowed Kenshin. His golden eyes went to her immediately, and he jerked his chin toward the garden. Kaoru got his meaning instantly.

There was somebody in the garden.

Kaoru picked up her katana from where it lay beside her futon, and quietly followed Kenshin as he ghosted over to the _shoji_ that led from her room to the garden. Slowly, carefully, Kenshin slid it open, slipping out onto the _engawa_. Kaoru followed him just as stealthily.

There seemed to be nothing out of place in the garden, but Kaoru and Kenshin took up neutral positions, prepared to either attack or defend. Kaoru ignored the fact that she wore only a light sleeping _yukata_ and settled into the familiar, comfortable stance. What would the point of modesty be if it got her killed? Kenshin, she noticed, was dressed in his usual _gi_ and _hakama_.

_'What, does he sleep fully dressed?'_ Kaoru wondered, as she scanned the garden. She saw the movement even as Kenshin hissed at her. There was somebody coming over the wall.

Kenshin was just circling around to give himself a clear path to attack the invader when a voice was raised in alarm on the other side of the _dojo_. As Kenshin flashed forward (not missing a beat) to dispatch his target, Kaoru mentally swore as she recognized the voice as Sano's. But all worry over her friend's safety was driven from her mind; as if the cry had been a cue, the outer walls of the _dojo_ were suddenly crawling with shadowed figures. Kaoru noted with a sickened horror that some of them moved in ways alien to human bodies. One of such creatures, this one calling to mind giant spiders, leaped at Kaoru. With a cry and a flash, she unsheathed her katana and struck at the thing.

The reaction was second-nature, the swing executed without thought. And even though a corner of her mind was disgusted as she felt bones crunch under her sword, Kaoru didn't hesitate or flinch. She followed through with the attack, bringing her katana right back to the ready position as the creature crumpled and another took its place. Kaoru noted with a curious detachment that she was surrounded, cut off from Kenshin. The thought made something in her gut stir slightly in unease, but she didn't let the feeling distract her.

Kaoru span her blade in a blurred circle as one of the more human creatures threw a _kunai_ at her throat. The weapon fell to the ground. Kaoru slashed left and right, clearing a little bit of space around her as her swings forced back the shadowed things that pressed in around her. She dodged the thrust of a sword, and brought her katana swinging up to connect solidly with the head of the creature that wielded it. The thing fell heavily.

"Kaoru!" Kenshin's shout tore through the air, his voice almost panicked. The tone of it brought Kaoru up short, snapping her from the blank-mind state she'd been in since she'd drawn her sword. She glanced over toward where he fought furiously. The redhead seemed to be trying to reach her, his sword a constant blur as he fended off quite a few attackers. His gold eyes met her blue ones, his wild gaze sending a jolt through her body.

Then they both looked away, Kenshin's jaw tightening as he doubled his efforts to fight his way through the enemies separating them, Kaoru's eyes hardening as she fought off the creatures that had dared to invade her father's _dojo _to threaten all within.

She caught a creature's swinging blade on her own, twisting out from beneath the blow and letting the thing's weapon continue its descent into the empty space where she had just been. She took the opportunity to send her katana smashing down on the thing's back. Something cracked under the blow, and the creature collapsed. Turning the slash into a thrust smoothly, Kaoru forced another enemy back, giving her a little more room. But not enough, evidently. Kaoru felt the skin of her thigh split with a slight stinging pain as she only barely avoided an attack that would have parted her leg from her torso. She broke the arms of the enemy responsible. Keening in pain, the thing reeled back. Unfortunately for it, it stumbled right into the path of Kenshin's blade. Its shadowed form exploded in a spray of blood.

Kaoru glanced at Kenshin as he took up a defensive position beside her. His golden eyes flicked toward her, searchingly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, or rather, demanded.

"Yes," Kaoru replied, and some of the wildness left Kenshin's gaze. His sword split open one of the enemy's heads. The body fell to the side, still twitching. Kaoru kicked it out of the way, felling another with a slash to the knees.

"What _are_ these things?!" she cried in revulsion.

"_Obake_," Kenshin answered shortly. "Do not hesitate to kill them, for they are not alive in any way you would recognize."

_'Pleasant…'_ Kaoru thought. But despite Kenshin's reassurance, Kaoru did not purposefully strike to kill. She mostly just disabled her opponents, but that did not mean she tried to _avoid_ killing them. If one of the things was stupid enough to walk into a neck-blow, it only had itself to blame.

Kaoru couldn't help but be awed with Kenshin's display of prowess as he flashed in and out of the horde of darkly garbed enemies, trailing blood and death in his wake. It wasn't too long before the ranks of the attackers were thinned enough for Kenshin and Kaoru to rush back towards the living quarters. Somewhere within, hopefully, the King was fighting off his own attackers, flanked by his guards. They were going to help defend Katsura, no matter what tried to stand in their way.

They passed a couple fallen guards along the way, and Kaoru had to force herself not to stop. They needed to get to the King. It was with a knot of tension in her throat that Kaoru followed Kenshin through several torn and slashed _fusuma_. The tightness lessened as she spotted a slightly scuffed Sano standing defensively in front of Katsura. Four other guards stood arrayed around the King. Katsura himself had a naked blade in his hand, his face set into a serene expression that belied the chaos around them. His clothing was smeared with blood, and the golden glint of the Royal Crest around his neck was partially hidden by the filth. The sight of her liege in such a state tied a knot in Kaoru's throat.

"Katsura-sama!" Kaoru cried, a little breathlessly. She halted before him and turned to face the _obake_ that were swarming them. "Are you alright, my lord?"

"I am," the King replied, his eyes raked over Kenshin and Kaoru, and he saw the blood staining Kaoru's _yukata_. "Are you injured?"

"Only slightly, my lord. I am fine," she replied. She swept her katana in a half-moon shape to knock away the pike that one of the _obake_ was trying to stab her with. The haft of another pole-arm smashed into her knuckles. Kaoru winced, but retained her grip on her weapon.

"My lord!" one of the guards cried out in horror. Kaoru looked up just in time to see an arrow pass over her head, heading straight for the King. She could only gasp, heart seized in terror. But then a blurred figure arced across the room, and Kaoru's jaw dropped as she realized that Kenshin had thrown himself into the air to knock aside the arrow. He skidded to a halt near her, but did not remain motionless for long, as he threw himself at the archer who had loosed the arrow.

Kaoru shut her mouth and quickly brought her focus back to the battle, almost in the same heartbeat as when her attention had flagged in the first place. She was lucky she hadn't stood there slack-jawed for longer than that, or else she might have paid for it with her life.

There was a bit of a clamour then, as eight more guards pounded into the room. Kaoru felt a flash of combined horror and relief to see Yahiko among them, a heavy wooden _bokken_ in his hands- horror that he was participating in the fight, relief that he seemed uninjured. With that force, the remaining _obake_ were finished off, and then silence fell over the _dojo_. Kaoru came back to herself little by little, the familiar buzzing sensation of a battle-high humming through her body. She was panting, all her muscles quivering.

Kenshin's sword flashed as he flicked it out in _chiburi_. Kaoru looked down at her own blade. Even though it held no edge, it was still dotted with blood and grim. She wrinkled her nose. It never ceased to amaze her how dirty battle was. How did she get so much dirt on her katana? Did those _obake _creatures exude the stuff, or what?

"Here," Sano was suddenly in front of her, offering a handful of rice paper. She accepted it gratefully and wiped off the blade of her sword. Returning the weapon to the sheath she'd stuck through the tie of her _yukata_, she looked around. Her hands absently adjusted the disheveled _yukata_, tucking it closer around her body so that the bandages binding her chest were not longer visible through the garment's gaping front.

"These creatures were sent by Shishio," said Kenshin as he came up beside her. Sano silently offered him rice paper as well. The redhead deftly wiped his blade and sheathed it, dropping the paper to the filthy floor.

"How do you know?" Kaoru asked.

"I could read their _ki_, and it stank of Shishio's power."

"Oh," she said thoughtfully. Yahiko limped up to them and Kaoru looked the youth over. "Yahiko, go to Megumi and get her to look at that shoulder."

"Aw, it's nothing…" the boy said, trying to shrug. He winced as the movement pulled the deep wound on his shoulder and caused blood to drip down his arm. Kaoru glared at him, and he, grumbling, left. Kenshin barely took any notice.

"And also… the _obake _knew the King was here. They were sent specifically to kill him," Kenshin looked decidedly grim. "Somehow, Shishio knew we were hiding here. There may be a spy in the household."

"A spy?" repeated Sano. "But who?"

Kenshin shook his head. "I don't know."

"In any case, I must ask you all to not speak of that to anyone else." The three of them turned around to face and bow to Katsura. The King's solemn, dark eyes scanned their faces. "I do not want unnecessary tension among my people. Telling them about the possibility of a spy would cause paranoia and suspicion. I won't have it."

"Nevertheless, my lord," Kenshin said, "I urge you to keep it in mind."

"I agree, Sire," Kaoru spoke up. "We must all be aware of the threat a spy constituents. Perhaps we should keep an eye on the household staff."

"I won't spy on my own people," Katsura frowned. Kenshin glanced up.

"My lord, your own people may be spying on _you_."

Katsura's frown deepened, but he did not refute the statement. His gaze turned inward and thoughtful. As they stood there, men started to come in to clean away the bodies that were spread across the floor like some sort of macabre _tatami_. Katsura glanced at them and said softly: "Let us speak more on this in another place."

The King turned and walked out of the room with an easy confidence that spoke of his assumption that they would follow. Which, of course, they did. Katsura's bearing was so very kingly that you would often find yourself obeying him without thought, and his manner so easy and amiable that, when you caught yourself at it, you felt no bitterness or unease at your subservience.

The room the King led them to was a smaller one- a bedroom, to judge from the rumpled futon on the floor- so it was a little crowded by the time they had all settled within it and shut the _fusuma_. Nobody commented on this, being much too concerned with the problem at hand.

"So what would you advise I do to provide some defense against a spy?" Katsura asked, folding his arms into his wide sleeves ad closing his eyes. "Captain?"

Sano jerked a little next to Kaoru. He clearly hadn't anticipated being called on first, even though he probably should have. As the Captain of the Royal Guard, the safety of the King was his primary concern.

"Well…" he hedged. "Seeing as we don't know who the spy is, we probably shouldn't spread our concerns around the household staff too much. If we want to catch the spy, we shouldn't let them know we're on to them."

"That is true," Katsura said. "Messenger Kamiya?"

The use of her title sent Kaoru snapping to attention, and she bowed reflexively before answering. "I agree with Captain Sagara. However, it is necessary to keep watch for an suspicious actions, so I would advise informing a select few of the spy threat."

Katsura nodded, his eyes opening to level his steady gaze at Kenshin.

"Inform your most trusted retainers of the spy," Kenshin concurred. "And, as this location has been compromised, I would advise moving your base to another residence. However, do not inform your household that you are going to the same location with them. Allow them to think that you are fleeing to a different place. Send a troupe of guards- the least trustworthy- one way, while your household goes another. Do not tell the two groups where the other is heading. With luck, the household will think you are going with the guards, and the guards will think you are with the household."

The King was silent for a long while, seemingly mulling over these pieces of advice. He sighed and gave his head a small shake. "Very well. I shall take this advice."

The King looked at Sano. "Captain Sagara, if you would gather four of your most trusted subordinates, I would like to speak to them on this matter. They will form the basis of our informed group. Also, call Okami here. I trust her."

"Yes, Katsura-sama," Sanosuke said, bowed, and retreated from the room. After he had closed the _shoji_ behind him, Katsura spoke again.

"Well, and what about you two?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand, my lord," Kaoru said in confusion.

"Am I right in assuming you two will be leaving us soon? To go after Shishio?"

"Oh, well," Kaoru's hands tightened into fists in her lap. "We don't know where Shishio is hiding yet…"

"Actually, we do." Kenshin interjected. Kaoru's head whipped around and she regarded him in surprise.

"We do?" she asked. The redhead nodded quite calmly.

"Indeed. I noticed that all the attackers this morning had red dust on their clothing, and some even had thick red clay stuck in the straw of their _zori_," Kenshin divulged this information as if it meant something. Which, Kaoru reflected as her lessons on the geography of the country came back to her, it did. The earth to the north was rich in red clay such as Kenshin described.

"So… you think Shishio is in the north…" Kaoru said, thinking out loud. Kenshin nodded once, firmly.

"Yes. And also…" he seemed hesitant to tell them his second bit of information. Katsura tipped his head almost imperceptibly to the side inquiringly. Kenshin stared down at his fists in his lap. "I could smell apple-blossoms on some of them."

"So you think Yamagata?" Katsura questioned as Kaoru looked at Kenshin.

_'He could smell that? All I could smell was that horrible cloying stench that those things carry…'_ She looked away as Kenshin glanced toward her, as if he felt her regard.

"I am sure it is Yamagata," Kenshin affirmed.

"Well." The King turned his head to stare at the blank wall for the space of a breath. When he looked back at the two seated before him, his lips were twisted into a bittersweet smile. "I wish you good fortune. May you triumph."

"Thank you, my lord," Kenshin and Kaoru replied, bowing. They exited the room, closing the _fusuma_ behind them. Kaoru paused just outside the door.

"When will we leave?" she asked Kenshin.

"Now."

"Now?" exclaimed Kaoru, eyes widening. "But… we've had no time to prepare anything! We have no plan!"

"It will take us four days to reach Yamagata, if we go mounted. We can think of a plan during that time. And we need not prepare anything other than our weapons." Kenshin's reply was brusque. Kaoru frowned at him. He _was_ right, damn him. But Kaoru didn't like the idea of just leaping into this without any forethought.

_'Actually… that's not completely true. _I _haven't thought much about it, but I'd be willing to bet Kenshin's spent the last five hundred twenty-three years planning his revenge on Shishio. What was I saying before? I trust Kenshin? Well, Kamiya, trust him now,'_ Kaoru felt a little flash of anger at herself, for that small hypocrisy.

"You're right," she informed the redhead. "We'll leave as soon as possible."

* * *

_TERMS_

_ Dojo- a building where a martial art it taught._

_shoji- sliding doors made of wood and paper._

_fusuma- sliding doors, made out of heavy paper and wood. Give more privacy than shoji._

_daimyo- the word that can refer to either the ruling families or feudal lords that ruled over the autonomous territories of Japan._

_engawa- the porch around a traditional Japanese house._

_yukata- a lightweight cotton kimono worn in the summer or as night attire._

_kunai- (fictional type) a throwing dagger._

_obake- a class of creature in Japanese folklore; derived from the verb bakeru, meaning "to change"; thus obake are preternatural beings who have undergone some sort of change, from the natural realm to the supernatural. _

_chiburi- the motion in which blood is flicked/shaken from the sword._

_tatami- woven straw mats used as floor coverings._

_zori- Japanese sandals/shoes. Some are made from woven straw._


	10. Chapter 10: Rice & Memories

_ Woohoo! Over 100 reviews! Thanks guys!_

_Just a small thing but: A HUGE thanks to reviewer **JML**, for the corrections. I have fixed all (I think) the errors and reposted a few chapters with those changes. Nothing big that'll change the story, people, so don't worry too much. You won't need to reread anything._

_Okay, so this is the last chapter that I have pre-written. Meaning, updates may take longer because now I have to write the chapters as I post them. Sorry. I'll try to write fast, but I can't promise anything._

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Kaoru was irked. She was frustrated, peeved, annoyed, bothered. Anyway you wanted to say it, she was _irritated_. And the cause of that irritation was Kenshin.

'_Of course, ever since I stumbled across Kenshin on that hill anything that's annoyed me has been either directly or indirectly related to him…'_ Kaoru frowned and flicked her chin to the side to twitch her horse's mane out of her face. She snuck a surreptitious glance at Kenshin. His crimson hair was streaming out behind him with the speed of their gallop, his own mount's mane tickling his face. Kaoru returned her gaze to between her horse's ears. _'Not that it's his fault… much.'_

Kenshin had admitted before that she confused him. Well, the reciprocal was certainly true as well. Kaoru could not understand Kenshin. _That_ was what niggled at her, like a sneeze that wouldn't come, that lack of understanding. It was infuriating! How was she supposed to help him when she did know what would help, what Kenshin would want or allow her to do? Oh, if only he were more open with his feelings! She'd…

Oh. Kenshin was slowing down, reining in his mount, and Kaoru's horse was hesitantly dropping into a canter, rolling its eyes back at her hopefully. Kaoru's hands tightened on the reins and she let her mount match pace with its fellow. Kaoru turned her mind to something less… irritating.

'_We're lucky there were two horses to spare, with Katsura-sama and the others traveling as well. It would've taken quite a while to get to Yamagata on foot…' _she thought. She was glad now that they'd decided to go mounted. At first, she'd been against it, for fear of being too obvious.

"Shishio will know when we enter his territory anyway," Kenshin had told her. "It doesn't matter how we get there. I'd prefer speed over stealth right now."

So there they were, on two of the King's horses, heading inexorably toward a meeting with the sorcerer. Kaoru felt her unease like a mass of rocks in her belly, weighing her down. Perhaps this discomfort was making her irritation feel worse than it really was. Kaoru's lips twisted into a self-deprecating smirk. _'Oh come now, there's no need for excuses… You're grumpy!'_

Kenshin brought his horse close to hers.

"Kaoru?" The sound of her name on Kenshin's lips called up memories of the way he'd shouted for her during the fight against the _obake_. There had been a strain in his voice, a sound of… panic? Had been worried for her? Or was it just that he still feels obligated to her?

'_Probably the latter,' _Kaoru thought. _'I can't really pretend to any claim on his affections when he never shows any sort of fondness at all for me.'_

"Kaoru!" Kenshin actually reached out and gave her shoulder a shake this time, and Kaoru realized that he'd been calling her name for a while.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. A blush warmed her cheeks. "What were you saying?"

"We should look for a place to stop for the night."

"Right," she sighed. Kenshin? Fond of her? Ha! More likely he was only barely tolerating her presence. Kaoru bit back another sigh. They'd been traveling for two days, and through that time, Kaoru had seen no shift at all in the way he regarded her. Not that she was hoping he'd suddenly go all chummy on her, but he still only barely acknowledged her. For all the time they'd traveled together, and all they'd been through together, he was still as cool and aloof as at the beginning.

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The horse Kaoru was grooming leaned into the brushstrokes she sent across its side, sighing happily. The mare's contentment was contagious, and Kaoru smiled fondly at the animal. Smoothing down the dark hairs of the horse's back, Kaoru reflected once again on how lucky they were that Katsura-sama had been able to spare the two mounts. Not only that, but he was able to spare two of the remaining Messenger horses, beasts bred and trained for speed and endurance. The King's Messengers had express use of the animals for their courier missions, when the distance or urgency was too great for them to go simply on foot. Kaoru very much preferred to ride than to run, though she had been trained to be able to cover long distances at a run without wearing herself too thin.

_'I wonder if Kenshin would have been able to run all the way to Yamagata…' _Kaoru thought briefly as she patted her horse on the neck and then turned to Kenshin's mount. _'Probably. Actually, he'd probably do better with it than I would.'_

She glanced back to where he was crouched over a tiny fire. The two tiny packs of rations that they'd brought with them were at his side, and he was stirring a small pot of rice that sat over the licking flames of the fire. In the dimness of the approaching night, the fire sent shadows jumping across his face.

_'He looks… inhuman…'_ Kaoru thought with a shiver. His amber eyes danced with the flames as he stared vaguely at the rice pot. Kaoru turned back to grooming the horses. _'And yet… I still…'_

Kaoru's thoughts turned back to their departure from the Kamiya Dojo. After they'd washed the grit and grim of battle from themselves, cleaned cuts and scratches, and changed clothes, they were standing in the front courtyard, prepared to leave. Katsura-sama had approached them, then, with one of his servants trailing behind him, holding the reins of two horses. Kaoru had been unable to contain her joy at seeing the two animals.

_"Messenger horses!" She rushed forward, dropping the pack of food she'd had in her hand. "There are still some alive?"_

_"Yes," the King answered. He regarded Kaoru with a slight smile. "We lost many when Shishio murdered them along with their riders, and then some were killed when we fled Edo. These are two of the few that survived."_

_"Are… are they our mounts?" Kaoru hesitated to ask, hoping that they were. But the King nodded. Behind them, Kenshin stirred and spoke._

_"We shall make good time, then. These horses seem to be fine beasts."_

_"They are bred of the finest lines," Katsura replied, "They will not falter."_

_Kaoru had the slight impression that there was some obscure second conversation going on, but before either she or Kenshin had been able to reply, somebody called Kaoru's name._

_"Kaoru!" The shout was repeated as Megumi, Sano, and Yahiko hurried toward them. Megumi seized Kaoru's arm and dragged her away from the others, Yahiko following._

_"You're leaving again?" Yahiko asked._

_"Yes… I'm sorry Yahiko. I have to."_

_"No, I know. I understand." But the boy was scowling._

_"I'll come back," Kaoru promised him._

_"You'd better," he grumbled in response. His brown eyes flicked to where Sano had been speaking quietly to Kenshin. Yahiko hugged Kaoru and wished her farewell, and then he hurried over to join the two men._

_"Kaoru," Megumi said, pulling Kaoru's attention away from them._

_"Yes?"_

_"Be careful," Megumi said seriously. The doctor's eyes flicked briefly over to Kenshin. "I've seen the way you look at him. And I've seen the way he acts around you, but I still don't trust him completely."_

_"What are you talking about?" _

Remembering it now, Kaoru still blushed in embarrassment.

_"Don't be foolish, _tanuki_, you know what I'm talking about. You've seen it, too," then Megumi looked closer at Kaoru's face, and laughed suddenly. It wasn't a particularly kind laugh. "You haven't admitted it to yourself yet! What are afraid of?"_

_"Are you going to start making sense now?" Kaoru growled, set on edge by Megumi's chortle. She knew the vixen cared about her, but Megumi was given to being contemptuous when she thought someone was being foolish. Kaoru hated that._

_"Oh nevermind," Megumi said loftily. Then her expression softened, became worried. "But Kaoru, do be careful."_

_"Of course," she grumbled. And then, sarcastically: "No, I'm going to do everything in my power to get myself killed! What do you think?!"_

_"I'm serious!" Megumi admonished. Then they'd bid each other farewell. Breaking away from their embrace, Megumi turned to the three men. "Yahiko! Get over here; we're getting back to my workroom to get a better bandage on that shoulder of yours!"_

_Yahiko made a face, but complied. Kaoru walked over to Sano and Kenshin, catching the tail end of their conversation._

_"Understand?" Sano was asking Kenshin in a low voice._

_"I assure you, you need not fear for her," Kenshin replied quietly. Sano nodded._

_"Good." Then he seemed to notice Kaoru's approach and a grin spread across his face. "Hey, _jou-chan_, take care of yourself, you hear?"_

_"I will Sano. I'll be back soon enough. Keep Katsura-sama safe!"_

_"Will do. Good luck."_

_"Good luck." Kenshin and Kaoru bowed to the King, who had retreated to the covered _engawa_ to see them off, and then mounted. The gatekeeper, Oiji, had smiled at Kaoru as he opened the doors._

_"We'll be seeing you, Kamiya."_

_"Good-bye, Oiji," Kaoru replied, smiling back. Then the doors were closing behind them, and she and Kenshin had started out._

Kaoru felt sad as she thought back to it. With times such as they were, who knew when she'd see her friends and comrades next. It could even be that she'd be unable to keep her promise to Yahiko…

_'Don't even think like that!'_ she chided herself. She patted the horse she'd been grooming and put away the brush.

"The rice is cooked," Kenshin told her as she returned to the fire. She nodded absently, accepting the bowl he handed her. Kaoru waited until Kenshin had served himself and then scooped some rice into her bowl. She rummaged in the second bag of rations and came up with some salted meat.

"Here," she said, holding out one strip to Kenshin.

"Thank you."

They ate in silence. For her part, Kaoru was lost in her thoughts. She glanced over at her redheaded companion, and wondered what he was brooding about.

"_Ano_…" she said. Kenshin looked up. "I'm sort of confused… Why hasn't Shishio sent anything to stop us? Why haven't we been attack by any _obake_?"

"I think…" Kenshin paused. He started again: "Shishio is complacent and arrogant. I think he wants us to reach him."

"He… So what, he's _playing _with us?" Kaoru felt a blaze of anger.

"Like a cat with a mouse," agreed Kenshin. "If I had to guess… Well, we both have annoyed him personally. We are no longer just nameless victims, we are opponents. He wants to kill us himself."

"Oh, what an _honour_," Kaoru snarled. "Egotistical pig."

Kenshin's lips twitched. But Kaoru didn't notice, as she was seething.

"So he thinks that he's so high and mighty he can just squash us, just like that? He's not concerned at all that he's letting us into his stronghold, letting us march right up to him? What a jerk. I'm going to give a piece of my mind, and then I'm going to kill him."

"That may not be the best plan…" Kenshin said. Kaoru slanted a glare at him.

"Fine. I'll kill him, _then _I'll give him a piece of my mind. He can't interrupt that way." Kenshin's eyebrows rose at this one, but he refrained from commenting. Kaoru fell to muttering incoherently to herself, stabbing her _hashi_ into her rice viciously. Her anger ran out quickly, though, as her mind continued to whirl around dizzyingly from subject to subject. She snuck glances over at Kenshin a few times.

_'Megumi asked me what I was afraid of?' _Kaoru thought. _'I'm afraid of loving him. He is dangerous, I know that. He was _Hitokiri Battōsai_! But still… I… love him.'_

She sighed lightly. _'And that scares me. I've never… loved anyone before. Not this way. I'm afraid of love! And… I'm afraid of how he'd react.'_

Kaoru felt a bit like laughing at herself, but choked back the sound before it escaped her throat. _'I wonder what Tomoe would say if she were here?'_

Kaoru smiled at her rice bowl. Tomoe would have given her a very gentle sort of smile and said nothing, offering a quiet, loving support. Kaoru summoned up a memory of her sister's face. Tomoe had been so gentle, very quiet and sort of… well… delicate. It had surprised both Kaoru and their father when Tomoe had gone to join the Messengers. But Tomoe had explained, in the frequent letters she never failed to write to her sister, that she had felt that she needed to _do _something, to make a difference. She wrote about the King, and how amazing he was. She wrote about her fellow Messengers, how good-natured and self-sacrificing they all were (Kaoru had noticed a curious evasiveness in Tomoe's writing when she wrote about one Messenger in particular, a man named Akira, and had teased her sister shamelessly). Her sister's letters had stirred up the embers in Kaoru's soul, those burning feelings of the need to serve the kingdom. While it was true that Kaoru had known she wanted to serve the King from a young age, she hadn't had such a fierce desire to be a Messenger until her sister wrote to her about them.

Tomoe had been so kind and supportive when Kaoru had suddenly turned up at the King's Palace, requesting a place with the Messengers. She didn't scold Kaoru for leaving their father, didn't tell her that she was too young and she should just go home. Instead, Tomoe had let Kaoru cry on her shoulder over the harsh words that she and her father had exchanged before she'd left home, and had murmured soothingly in her younger sister's ear. Then, when Kaoru had been all cried out and had washed the tears from her face, Tomoe had brought her before Katsura-sama.

Kaoru remembered being terribly awestruck by the young King. He'd assumed the throne at the age of nineteen, and at the time Tomoe brought Kaoru to see him he had been twenty-one. To Kaoru's eleven-year-old eyes, the King was the most handsome, regal, and downright amazing man she'd ever seen. And then when he'd made her his personal runner, she had nearly died. Tomoe had patted her arm understandingly.

When they'd received the news that Akira, the Messenger that Tomoe had been engaged to, had been killed, the sister's roles had changed. Tomoe had wept on Kaoru's shoulder, and Kaoru had been the one to reassure and offer comfort.

_'At that moment, I wanted so badly to be able to make my sister smile, just once more, the way Akira used to be able to…'_ Kaoru felt sorrow settle in her chest. _'If I hadn't already loathed Shishio before that, I would have hated him for taking away my sister's happiness.'_

The sisters had thrown themselves body and soul into their duties then, wishing fiercely to bring Shishio down. But instead, Shishio had continued to wreak havoc. The numbers of the Messengers had continued to dwindle, the free _daimyo_ continued to fall under his rule, and hope began to fade from their minds.

And then Shishio killed Tomoe.

Kaoru's knuckles cracked as her hold on her _hashi_ tightened convulsively.

"Is the rice not good?" Kaoru yelped and jumped, having forgotten Kenshin's presence. She turned startled eyes on him.

"Are you not hungry?" Kenshin asked, inclining his head to Kaoru's half-full bowl. Kaoru looked down at the rice lamely.

"Huh? Oh. No, it's fine. It's delicious," she muttered. "I was just… thinking. About Shishio."

She put a bit of rice in her mouth and chewed deliberately, face down-turned. She did not notice Kenshin look carefully away, guilt in his eyes.

* * *

_TERMS_

_ obake- a class of creature in Japanese folklore; derived from the verb bakeru, meaning "to change"; thus obake are preternatural beings who have undergone some sort of change, from the natural realm to the supernatural. _

_engawa- the porch around a traditional Japanese house._

_hashi- chopsticks_

_daimyo- the word that can refer to either the ruling families or feudal lords that ruled over the autonomous territories of Japan._


	11. Chapter 11: A Fork in the Road

_Right, okay, so I'm really really sorry this took longer than usual. Second semester started up and all that, not to mention I was gripped in the throes of writers' block. Blech. But anyway, here's the next chapter._

_Uhhh… I don't think I have any notes to make. If you have questions or corrections please post them in a review and I'll do my best to address them!_

* * *

**Chapter 11**

To give the horses an easier time, Kenshin and Kaoru would keep the pace at a comfortable walk for the first two hours of the day. It was slightly strange, to Kaoru's mind, to have the soothing rhythm of the horses' gaits and the soft morning sounds around them in such sharp contrast with the turmoil within her. Her heart was filled with fear, anger, and a sort of sick anticipation. It seemed wrong to feel all that and to look out and see a lush, green landscape lit with the gentle morning light around them. She said as much to Kenshin.

"It's so beautiful here. The forest, the fields… the birdsong… You could almost forget that the kingdom is at war," she sighed. Kenshin glanced around.

"Yes," he replied quietly. Then, after a moment of silence, he said: "It was this peace, this beauty, that I fought for. It was for this that I killed."

The way he said it, it was almost as if he was reminding himself. Kaoru's mind sparked with intuition. _'Here's a chance! Take it!'_

"I would say that you defended it well. It lasted for five hundred-sum years because of what you did," she said. "If not for you, Shishio would have succeeded long ago."

"If not for me, then-!" Kenshin snapped, but he fell silent abruptly. Kaoru could have kicked herself.

_'Way to go, Kamiya! Congratulations, you've failed spectacularly. In fact, you seem to have made him hate himself more.'_

"We should pick it up to a gallop," Kenshin said, voice flat. He kicked his mount forward without waiting for an answer. Despairingly, Kaoru spurred her horse to a gallop as well.

_'What'd I do wrong?' _she wailed mentally to the immediate universe. _'Why do I always seem to put my foot in it when I talk to Kenshin?!'_

)0(

Kaoru stared numbly out at the wasteland. She was vaguely aware of her mouth moving soundlessly; it took several attempts for her voice to start working again. "W-what is this?"

"This is the edge of Shishio's territory," Kenshin answered. He, too, let his eyes scan the barren, cracked earth spread out before them. The ground was red, dusty, and lifeless. Strange, considering that where Kaoru and Kenshin stood, thick green grass carpeted the earth. Several steps ahead of them, the grass just suddenly stopped, as if there were some sort of wall there.

_'Some sort of invisible wall,' _Kaoru thought, still slightly in shock.

"This is where we leave the horses," Kenshin said. Kaoru nodded. They'd decided, back when they first started off, that they wouldn't bring the horses all the way to where Shishio was. They almost certainly would be killed, eaten by the _obake_, and neither Kenshin nor Kaoru believed that the loyal animals deserved such an end.

"The horses will find their way back to the King," Kaoru said. "Messenger horses are bred for intelligence as well as speed. But we should take off their bridles so they don't get tangled on anything."

Kaoru and Kenshin unbuckled the bits of leather and metal, stuffing them into the now-empty ration packs that were attached to the saddles. They'd only need themselves and their weapons for what was to come, so they didn't bother with anything else. With a slap on the flank and murmured word, the horses took off willingly, eager to get away from the edge of that unnatural desert.

Kaoru wished she could turn tail and run, too. The aura of Shishio's power poisoned her mind with fear, so that she was trembling with the desire to flee. But she stood rooted, obstinately refusing to give in. Despite the burning hatred she could feel in the corrupted air, she would not submit to Shishio's intimidation.

That didn't mean, however, that she was at all able to press forward. Just _remaining_ there took up all her courage. So when Kenshin started forward, stepping from the springy green grass to the packed, dry wasteland, Kaoru hung back, unable to pick up her feet.

"Kenshin?" she said. At the nervous tone of her voice, he turned. She met his eyes, not speaking, but he could see the anxiety in her gaze.

"You are strong of heart and will. This aura cannot touch you if you do not let it," Kenshin told her. "Come."

He held out his hand to her. She took a deep breath, staring at his hand. She didn't take it, somewhat foolishly afraid and shy of doing so, but seeing him reach out toward her like that bolstered her fading morale.

"Right…" she said quietly. She closed her eyes briefly, pictured Tomoe, and set her jaw. Chin lifted, she opened her eyes and moved. Kaoru matched pace with Kenshin as he continued onward.

She could still feel her fear, the thread of doubt and terror that snaked into her stealthily from the land around her, but she forced it down. It took all her training to shove the emotions to the back of her mind. For a brief moment, Kaoru wondered if perhaps she had not trained well enough, or if her control was slipping, but then she realized that the training she'd received hadn't taken into account the sort of power Shishio possessed. As a Messenger, you were trained to act and think rationally, without letting your emotions get the better of you, but the key words there were 'your emotions.' While the fear she felt was her own, it was contrived, born of Shishio's magic. So it was harder to contain than her own natural emotions.

Kaoru's anger at this manipulation burned away the last vestiges of the fear that lingered outside the barriers she'd erected in her mind. She gritted her teeth so hard her jaw creaked. _'Damn it, I _won't _be toyed with! _I _am the master of my body; I am not a puppet!'_

For the rest of the walk through the waste, neither Kenshin nor Kaoru seemed particularly inclined to speech. Rather, both withdrew into their own thoughts, dwelling on the upcoming fight and the various offenses they'd call Shishio out for. The sorcerer had dabbled around in both their lives, leaving a wake of pain and anger behind him. Revenge was an idea lovingly nursed by both Kenshin and Kaoru.

)0(

The entrance to Shishio's 'lair,' as Kaoru thought of it, was a shallow and dusty staircase that delved down into the cracked ground. There was nothing on the surface to mark the sudden drop; the earth simply yawned open at their feet, a burial pit that they were to willingly enter. Kaoru eyed the stairs with some trepidation. Beside her, Kenshin stared broodingly down into the pit.

"Well, that isn't ominous or anything." Kaoru finally broke the silence, her voice slightly scornful. "Shishio has a flare for the dramatic, doesn't he?"

"The more fearful we are when we face him, the easier it will be for him to destroy us. All that we have encountered so far has been designed to provoke fear," Kenshin's hand crept toward his katana, and he lifted one foot and put it down on the first step with exaggerated deliberation. "I do not fear him."

Kenshin's voice was thick with loathing and contempt for Shishio, and it held a challenge that seemed directed at Kaoru. _I _am not afraid… what about you? Kaoru smiled thinly at the redhead.

_'Thank you, Kenshin. That was just what I needed…'_ a corner of her mind whispered, even as the rest of her flushed with indignation. She'd gotten this far, hadn't she? Like she was going to let a little staircase intimidate her! Any fear she may have felt was drowned out by a flood of resolve.

"Let's go," she growled. They went down the steps. At the bottom, the stairs ended abruptly at the base of a large door. The door was dark wood, huge and thick. And flanking it on each side was person.

At first, Kaoru's hand went quickly to the hilt of her katana, but as she attention focused on the two figures, she became aware that they were merely boys. They were both slender, both wearing _gi _and _hakama_. The one on the right was clad in shades of blue, and the smooth cap of hair on his head was brown. He had a katana at his side. The one on the left was clad in white and black. He had unruly black hair that stuck up in messy spikes. They were watching Kaoru and Kenshin's descent. Kaoru blinked, feeling uneasy as she stared back at them.

The one on the right was smiling, but it was an expression that did not reach his dark blue eyes. His companion was frowning, his icy blue eyes narrowed. But despite the differing expressions, there was an eerie similarity between the two. Kaoru caught it at once, looking from one to the other.

They had a chillingly dead look in their eyes, in the set of their features. The bodies were alive, but there was nobody in them.

"Servants to Shishio's will," Kenshin murmured to Kaoru in a low voice. "Their souls have been separated from their bodies."

"Why is that one smiling?" Kaoru murmured back, her calm seriously damaged by the boy. Kenshin frowned.

"There may be a fragment of the boy still in there, and that smile is his defense against the pressure of Shishio's magic… against the madness that can be brought on by what Shishio has done to them."

"Ngh," Kaoru pushed the distressed noise out from a throat that had tightened with disgust, fear, and pity.

"Hello!" said the smiling boy. His voice, too, was disturbingly cheerful. "Shishio-sama has been expecting you. I am Seta Sōjirō, and my companion is Yukishiro Enishi."

As he introduced himself, the youth bowed. The other boy, Enishi, barely inclined his head as Sōjirō spoke his name. His empty stare was fixed on Kenshin, unblinking and cold.

"The underground pathways of Shishio-sama's palace are very confusing, so we're to act as your guides," Sōjirō continued as he straightened, his smile unchanged. Kaoru's eyes narrowed slightly as she inspected the two boys. If what Kenshin told her was correct, they were puppets, young boys who had once been as alive as she and who had had the misfortune of crossing paths with Shishio, who in turn had robbed their bodies of their souls and turned them into slaves. And Shishio wanted Kenshin and Kaoru dead. Were these puppet-children to be trusted?

"Well, there's nothing for it," Kaoru said finally, aware that Kenshin was also hesitating beside her. His eyes reflected his inner turmoil. "We will follow, I suppose."

"I don't like this," Kenshin told her in a low voice. "I do not trust them."

"Neither do I. But the alternative is wandering around Shishio's palace by ourselves, and if it really is as much of a maze as that Sōjirō fellow said, I doubt we'll make much progress," she whispered back. Kenshin was silent for a long moment.

"Very well, but stay close to me," he said. "In case it is an ambush."

Kaoru thought vaguely that she should feel indignant at Kenshin's words, which implied (probably unintentionally, in his defense) that she wouldn't be able to protect herself, but couldn't seem to summon the proper emotion. All she felt was a curious warmth spread through her body from just under her breastbone.

_'Silly,'_ she chided herself._ 'There's nothing special about him looking out for his allies. It would be pointless for him to let you accompany him this far only to let you get killed before even facing Shishio.'_

But because of her… feelings… for him, her heart reacted obnoxiously to even the most meaningless gestures he made toward her.

Kaoru mentally kicked herself, and forced her thoughts back to the doors, the two boys, and Shishio.

"Alright, lead the way," Kenshin was saying in a tight, cold voice to Sōjirō and Enishi. The two bowed, and pulled open the large doors. It was dim inside, but Kaoru could see the long hall within. They entered Shishio's palace.

When Sōjirō and Enishi pulled the doors closed behind them, Kaoru felt an ominous chill come over her. They had walked willingly into the spider's web, and now the way was shut behind them.

_'Bad, bad, bad. Don't let them close the doors, fool!' _chanted her mind. Her hand on her katana hilt was white-knuckled. She looked around, straining to see in the dimness until her eyes adjusted. It was even darker now, without the light pouring in from outside. The only light came from a very small number of torches set into wall-sconces. They were guttering and sending out acrid, hazy smoke into the air.

Seemingly unaffected by this, Sōjirō and Enishi walked on, leading them down the hall to a second door, which presumably led to an inner room. Their two escorts opened these doors as they had the first set, one on either side, pulling them open and waving Kaoru and Kenshin through. Side by side, wary and alert, they went through.

But as she stepped over the threshold of this door, the world seemed to skew around Kaoru, and she felt as though she was being torn into tiny bits by some unseen force. The floor jumped out from under her foot, so Kaoru had the unpleasant sight of a great gaping nothingness beneath her, and then a new, unfamiliar stone floor rushed up to meet her. Kaoru staggered; trying to shift her weight to not take a step into a void, then not being able to, and then suddenly finding an unexpected surface under her foot had not done good things to her balance.

Gasping, Kaoru span, looking around wildly. No. No, it couldn't be…

Kenshin was nowhere to be seen. Nor was Sōjirō, nor Enishi. There was a door behind her, but when Kaoru opened it, there was nobody on the other side. The room beyond was entirely unknown to Kaoru. She shut the door, trembling slightly. She was alone.

"What do I do now?" she wondered out loud. There were two other doors in the room, she noticed. Perhaps she should just start wandering… Or maybe should she just stay put, and wait for Kenshin to come find her? Would he even try to look? Was she even in Shishio's palace anymore… or, for that matter, was Kenshin?

_'Oh damn damn damndamndamn' _she bit her lip. She could feel her heart racing, and she tried to calm herself by taking a deep breath. Then she heard the door behind her creak open.

She whirled, katana flashing out automatically. Even though she was fervently praying that it was Kenshin, she was also terrified that it might be somebody more… malevolent. The smiling visage of Sōjirō appeared. He seemed to ignore the fact that Kaoru had her weapon leveled at him, and turned to push the door closed behind him. Kaoru noticed as he did so that the room on the other side wasn't the one she'd seen when she'd opened it, nor was it the one where she'd been separated from Kenshin.

"What the hell are you playing at? What's Shishio doing?" she demanded, fear and anger giving her words bruising force. "Is that bastard _enjoying_ this?!"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to Shishio-sama like that," Sōjirō said without losing his smile.

"What's going on?" Kaoru shouted. "Why have I been separated from my companion?"

"Shishio-sama wished to speak with you alone. He didn't think that Himura-san would have been willing to stand by and wait while he did so, so he had you separated. Now if you would follow me? We shouldn't keep Shishio-sama waiting."

"The hell I will!" Kaoru exclaimed. "I'm not going anywhere without Kenshin!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Himura-san is being led to Shishio by another route," Sōjirō informed her.

"How do I know you're not lying and that you aren't going to kill me yourself?"

"Oh no, we're supposed to deliver the both of you to Shishio-sama," the boy said. Kaoru gritted her teeth. What was she supposed to do? Just sit here and twiddle her thumbs? No. The only way to go was forward. Perhaps along the way she'll meet up with Kenshin again. Or at least, they'll meet in front of Shishio.

If they were both still alive.

Kaoru had the sudden urge to kill something. Messily. _'Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Well.'_

"Lead," she growled. "But know that if I think I am being threatened in any way, I will not hesitate to kill you, or anything else this place coughs up."

"Very well," Sōjirō replied, unconcerned with her threat.

* * *

_TERMS_

_shishou- 'master.'_


	12. Chapter 12: Shut Up So I Can Kill You

**::Edit- some bits added in end fight scene 3/3/07::**

_ Erm, 'kay… so this took a little longer than I would have liked but what kin ya do? If words won't come, words won't come. Anyway… big chapter! Not exactly in the sense of length, but certainly in content. A slight look into Kenshin's side of the story, and then a return to Kaoru. Enjoy, and remember: REVIEWS MAKE EVERY AUTHOR HAPPY!_

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"_Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū: Doryusen!"_ Dust billowed in the air and small bits of debris rained onto the stone floor with tiny clicks. Kenshin glared through the clouds of powdered stone even as he raised his sleeve to cover his nose and mouth. Damn! His jaw tightened and his golden eyes flashed furiously. The door was completely unaffected.

Kenshin stepped forward as the dust settled, and reached out with the hand that was not grasping a sword to brush his fingertips over the wood. It felt normal- looked normal- but Kenshin knew that the door before him was far from normal. Not only did it close and lock itself immediately after he'd come through; not only did it disgorge him into one room while, presumably, plunking Kaoru into another (even though they had stepped over the threshold side-by-side), it also took the brunt of five successive _Doryusen_ without any ill effects at all. The stone floor in front of the door was scored with jagged furrows dug by the attacks, but the door itself remained untouched, its wood not even slightly scratched. There was an obvious answer, of course. Magic.

In his mind, Kenshin was snarling curses at Shishio. In his gut, he could feel the desire to let his katana taste Shishio's blood gnawing at him like an animal, his frustration and anger giving it strength. In his heart…

Kenshin growled deep in his chest, and punched the door. He hated being made a liar, but this trick of Shishio's had essentially done so. He had sworn to protect Kaoru, but how could he, when he didn't even know where she was, let alone if she was still alive? Eyes narrowing into angry, determined slits, Kenshin backed up and prepared for another attack. If the _Doryusen _did not work, then perhaps-

Kenshin tensed as he felt a sort of tugging, as if there were hooks twisted into the skin just below his sternum and they were pulling at him. The sensation was the same as when he'd come through the door. The magic within the portal was stirring.

As the door opened, the redhead strained to look into the room beyond, but there was nothing there, only an all-consuming darkness, deeper than even the darkest moonless night. It burned the eyes because it caught one's gaze and would not allow blinking, and Kenshin remembered enough of his lessons in the Greater Magicks to know to turn his face away. It was a deceitful darkness, seemingly peaceful, but a void that would greedily draw you in and take you over. Only a one with power could persuade it to obey and to release what it had taken. From his peripheral vision, he saw a figure step through the door.

As quick and as silent as a shadow, Kenshin darted forward. As the door closed, Kenshin slammed the newcomer against the wood, holding his sword to the boy's throat. Boy?

Kenshin's mind caught up with him, and he saw that the figure pinned beneath his katana blade was the surly boy- Enishi was his name?- from before. But rather than tempering his rage, seeing the child's face glaring up at him made Kenshin's anger flare.

"Where is she?" the swordsman growled dangerously. A bead of blood welled up from beneath the sword edge, but Enishi did not flinch.

"She has been placed on a different path," the boy said in a dead voice.

"But she is alive?" Kenshin pressed.

"Yes. Shishio-sama wishes to speak with her, so she will remain alive until he does so," Enishi replied. Kenshin thought quickly, searching the youth's face.

"The other boy… Sōjirō. Is he with her, then?"

"Yes. He leads her as I am to lead you." Kenshin couldn't find any trace of dishonesty in the boy's face. He released him, stepping away and lowering his katana. Enishi stood motionless, seemingly unaware of the line of blood running down his neck.

"Lead me," Kenshin repeated tonelessly. "Where?"

"I am to lead you to Shishio-sama."

Kenshin was silent. Enishi motioned vaguely. "If you will follow me…"

The boy started across the room, heading for the door that was set in the opposite wall. He opened it and went through without looking back to see if Kenshin was behind him. The redhead remained where he was for a beat, and then cursed quietly and followed.

He could not hope to find Kaoru by himself; the palace was like a rat-warren, a mad labyrinth of halls and doors, and augmented by magic. He needed the boy's guidance, and even though Enishi wouldn't be leading him to Kaoru directly, she was being led to Shishio just as he was. They would meet again before their mutual enemy.

This time, Kenshin vowed, he would kill the bastard.

)0(

Kaoru was growing weary of walking. Her journey was supposed to be over! She'd made it to Shishio's lair; she wasn't supposed to be wandering even more, she was supposed to be crossing swords with Shishio! It was entirely frustrating.

Kaoru sighed, trudging after the upright- seemingly tireless- figure of Sōjirō.

"So, how did you come to… serve… Shishio, anyway?" she asked absently. She wasn't particularly curious, didn't even think he would answer, but she had to say _something_ to break the bleak silence.

"I have always served Shishio-sama," Sōjirō replied cheerfully. "I have not known an existence without him."

"I wonder, if you had your soul, would the answer would be different?" Kaoru mumbled to herself, feeling a spark of bitter anger toward Shishio. Here was another life ruined by the sorcerer. The pity she felt for the boy intensified. He didn't look like he was too much older than Yahiko, and so it wasn't so hard to picture her young friend in the same position. The thought made her sick.

She was still frowning to herself, trying to banish the image of Yahiko, dull-eyed and empty on the inside, when Sōjirō halted. Kaoru stumbled to a stop, just missing running into him.

"We are here," he said calmly. Kaoru felt her heart jump. She stared.

"Wait, what? You mean Shishio is right behind that door?" she asked, voice blank with surprise. Sōjirō nodded, and opened the door, standing aside for her. Kaoru hesitated.

_'Oh no, oh, this is it. Oh my… It's _him_. He's right through there… I'm not ready, I'm not…. NO. I am ready. I'll face him; I will! Shishio will answer for my sister's death! And Akira's, and Takeshi's, and Yuki's, Haru's, Michiko, Ryo, Kikuta…'_ As Kaoru listed her fallen comrades in her mind, she grew more and more angry, more and more prepared. Finally, she squared her shoulders and entered the room, one hand hovering near her katana hilt.

The room was lit brighter than any other room or hall she had yet traversed, and the harsh light seemed to burn away all shadows, as the sun might at midday in the summer. So Kaoru could easily make out the figure of Shishio at the end of the long room.

He lounged negligently on a cushioned bench, smoking tobacco from a long thin pipe. Curiously, every inch of his body was covered by white linen bandages- even his face and hair. His _yukata_ gaped open to reveal his bandage-swathed chest. He took little notice of Kaoru as she approached him, and this dismissive attitude set her even more on edge.

"Shishio!" she said fiercely, loudly, when she was close enough. She whipped her katana out of its _saya_. She had wanted to say more, but speech failed her, her anger choking off the words in her throat.

The sorcerer merely glanced at her, let out a thin stream of smoke from his mouth, and laughed. It was a dark, unkind laugh, one that sent shivers down the spine of any who heard it. Kaoru had heard it once before; it had slid through the darkness that night when Tomoe had died, and had spurred Kaoru to flee even faster with its malevolent, nightmarish sound. Its effect on her now was no different. Her body quivered in fear, and her hands on her katana hilt went white-knuckled as her grip tightened convulsively.

"Put up your sword, girl," Shishio told her lazily. "I could strike you dead before you even thought to use it against me."

"You killed my sister, you killed the Messengers, you tried to kill me, and you threaten my King. For these crimes, you must pay," Kaoru said quietly. Shishio chuckled.

"The strong survive, and the weak die. If they died so easily, then the world is better off without them."

"You bastard," Kaoru's voice shook. "You're an abomination! A monster…"

"I am merely a man with the power to change the world. And so I would make the world as I wish it to be," Shishio corrected mildly.

"By killing innocent people!" Kaoru cried.

"Only the strong deserve to live. I am simply removing the unworthy from the world," Shishio lifted his pipe slightly, as if in a shrug. Kaoru was staring at him, aghast. He was even madder than she had originally thought!

"You… You're cracked," Kaoru croaked. Her katana-point wavered as her hands trembled. "Who are you to determine who lives and who dies?"

"I am the strongest in the world. I have not yet met one who could match me, so who better than I to rule this kingdom, to rule the people?" The sorcerer said.

"No…" Kaoru breathed, as a thought occurred to her, bringing with it a little of her lost strength. "Kenshin… Kenshin nearly beat you…"

Shishio's muddy red eyes blazed hate as she spoke the redhead's name. Without any warning, Kaoru felt something slam into the left side of her face and chest with enough force to knock her off her feet and halfway across the room. She slid to a halt on the polished wood floor, somewhat confused as to what had happened. Had Shishio struck her physically, or with magic? She hadn't seen him raise his fist, but she could have sworn she'd felt the coarseness of fabric in the blow, and Shishio was wearing gloves. Kaoru sat up dazedly and looked at the sorcerer, who was on his feet, his anger coming off of him in nearly tangible waves. There was a katana in his hand that Kaoru was certain was not there before.

"No. I beat the fool, I left him bound by my magic and bereft of his body. I beat him!" he said, his voice slightly higher than before. He seemed to be drawing close to a fit. Perhaps Kaoru had not been too far off with her comment on his sanity.

She got to her feet easily, katana tip pointed between Shishio's eyes. The weapon had not left her hands in her fall; the lessons her father and the King's Weaponsmaster had pummeled into her had sunk deep.

"No, you had to bind him because you couldn't kill him," Kaoru retorted. "Kenshin is stronger than you! He could beat you! I can beat you!"

Shishio laughed at this last, contemptuously. "By the time the _Battōsai _arrives at this room, you will be nothing more than a corpse on the floor. And after whetting my katana's thirst for blood with you, I will glut on the life's-blood spilled from his heart."

His words made Kaoru feel slightly disgusted. Her brow furrowed, and she attacked.

Kaoru was quick, quicker than many of her contemporaries when they'd practice together in the _dojo_ at the King's Palace, and even though it had been several weeks since the last time such practices had been possible, she had not lost any of her speed. She was certainly not as fast as Kenshin, but her movements were light and quick. Shishio was put on the defensive for a few blows; he was able to block her katana, but did not get in any attacks of his own.

But he still had magic on his side, and he was not adverse to using it to his advantage. Kaoru felt her katana twist in her grip, as if some great unseen hand was pushing it away from Shishio. The sorcerer grinned madly, and lunged at her.

_Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū _was a style intended to be used to protect, and as such, it had a strong base in defensive techniques. It was fortunate that Kaoru had been something of a prodigy in her father's style, because she was using all her skill in keeping Shishio's blade from slicing her flesh. The dance of their attacks and parries was fast and deadly. There was no time for thought, only action.

Kaoru twisted and leaped around, darting like a little fish around Shishio. He was so highly skilled… And yet Kaoru was holding her own- though admittedly not by much- against him.

Her katana flashed toward him like a snake striking, and for a split moment it seemed like she would draw blood, but his katana suddenly jumped across his torso to knock her blade away. Kaoru retreated before he could switch his defensive blow into an offensive one. She took a half-step to the left, and Shishio turned with her. The next time, it was Shishio who attacked. Kaoru moved to intercept, but quite suddenly, Shishio was holding two katana, and Kaoru couldn't block both as they both scythed toward her. She didn't think both were real, but which one should she concentrate on? She edged well away, stepping back and back and back as Shishio advanced, eyes flicking between the two blades.

Suddenly, Kaoru's skin shivered all over with the ghost of the feel of power swimming over her. And one of Shishio's swords blinked out of sight, as if it didn't exist.

_'That's right! Hiko-sama's charm against deception!'_ she realized. She leaped forward, ignoring the fake sword and engaging the real. She must have been a little too enthusiastic in her assault, because Shishio twisted and used her momentum to make her stumble past him. He swept his katana around, skillfully evading hers.

Kaoru gasped at the sword blade bit into her side, and she threw herself to the side, away from the pain. Blood dripped down her hip and thigh from the wound, and when Kaoru breathed in too deeply, she felt it pull across her ribs. She tried to put the pain out of her mind, and kept her katana between Shishio and her body. He was smirking the smirk of a hunter who had his quarry in his sights. They closed and engaged again, the clash of metal on metal ringing in the room.

Before she'd left home to join the Messengers, when her father still believed she would stay at the _dojo_, Kaoru had learned the succession techniques of the _Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū. _Afterone particular attack by Shishio, Kaoru saw her opening. It was perfect; she had just used the _Hadome_ to block Shishio's attack, and now she smoothly shifted in the _Hawatari_. Shishio's katana went flying, and Kaoru felt the flush of victory before her final blow connected.

The pain was entirely unexpected. That was why she screamed. Because of that, and because of the fact that Shishio should not have had his katana in his hand. She had knocked it from his grip, she was certain! She had seen it fly out of his hand, so where had the blade in his other hand come from? Wherever it had materialized from, its present location was definite.

Kaoru's mouth hung open in shock and pain as her blood welled up and dripped down the blade embedding in her shoulder. Her scream had been short, but intense, and what little that was left in her lungs now escaped in tiny agonized pants. Her katana dropped from her hand as the arm that held it stopped obeying her mind's commands.

Shishio wrenched his katana from her shoulder, sending droplets of blood splattering across the floor. In half the time it took to blink, he was toe-to-toe with Kaoru, his free hand slamming against her throat as he gripped her round the neck and heaved her into the air. She choked and gasped, struggling for air. Her one functioning hand came up to claw ineffectively at his.

"It's useless; it was useless from the start," he informed her. "How could you have hoped to beat me?"

Kaoru was faintly aware that his touch was burning her, that since he was so close to her she could feel the heat radiating off of his body, like standing next to an oven. He reached up with the hand that still gripped his katana, and stroked her cheek with his knuckles. That touch burned too. Kaoru choked. Black dots were swimming in front of her eyes and her struggles were becoming weaker.

"I think I will make you a puppet like the boy that led you here. How would you like that? How would the _Battōsai _like having to kill his ally, the last King's Messenger?"

Distantly, Kaoru felt fear, but all her senses were becoming fuzzy and dim. She was still trying to struggle, but the only thing her efforts achieved was a slight twitching of the fingers of her hand, which hung limp at her side. She was dying.

'_No… please…' _Kaoru thought weakly. _'I don't want to die… not now… Please!'_

A tear escaped her eye. In one moment, Kaoru felt its warm wetness on her eyelashes. In the next, she was watching it roll slowly down her own cheek, from a vantage point beyond her body.

* * *

_TERMS_

_ Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū: Doryusen- (Earth Dragon Strike) A quick blow against the ground, causing massive airwaves/rocks to strike enemies._

_yukata- a lightweight cotton kimono worn in the summer or as night attire._

_saya- the sheath of a katana_

_Hadome- Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū Style's defensive succession technique. If the user of this technique is attacked, they perform the Hadome by crossing their arms over their head (and possibly other places as well, but this is the most common form) and catching the blade with the back of their hands. This allows the user to maintain their grip on their sword while catching the opponents blade at the same time. Kaoru rarely uses this technique however, because it requires that the timing be perfectly right or else the attacker will be given a fatal opening. However, if properly used, it can be chained into the offensive ougi and thusly ensure an instant win._

_Hawatari- Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū Style's offensive succession technique. It is a counter-attack and can only be performed after a successful use of the Hadome technique. From the Hadome position, the defender will twist his/her wrists, thusly stripping the weapon of their attacker away from their wrists and possibly throwing them to the ground. Since the defender will still have their grip on their own weapon they can almost instantaneously follow up with an attack of their own and therefore deliver the final blow on their now defenseless opponent._


	13. Chapter 13: Well, This Is Different

_Ha HA! New chapter. Snap, am I tired. Erg… Um. I don't think I have any notes except these two:_

_I reposted the last chapter with some changes in the fight scene between Kaoru/Shishio. I forgot about Hiko's spell, eh heheh… So now the spell activates when Kaoru's facing Shishio's dual-sword attack. She's shielded from deception, so she can see which sword's real._

_This chapter ends on a bit of an odd spiritual-ish note. I blame all the ghost stories I've heard/read in my life. Got that? Not my fault!_

_Anyway, please READ & REVIEW!!_

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Somewhat numbly, Kaoru watched the teardrop trace a thin line down her own face. Her hand rose to her cheek, but the hand on the body she looked down upon- _her _hand, _her _body- did not move. She blinked. She could feel the ghost of the tear on her skin, but she was also looking at it as if it were someone else's.

_'I… I am…'_ she thought vaguely. At that moment, a loud cry sounded, tearing through her.

_"Kaoru!"_ Kenshin was a crimson streak as he hurtled toward Shishio, fury in every line of his body. The sorcerer dropped her body, and Kaoru winced as the painful jolt reverberated through her; she could still feel her body somewhat… Perhaps she was not quite dead? She couldn't place much confidence in that, as she was quite obviously looking down at herself, and her self was not moving, having crumpled like a broken doll where Shishio had dropped her.

Standing with her body at her feet, Kaoru looked up at Shishio and Kenshin. She felt peculiar, like something that had been wrapped in silk and put away in storage. She was muffled, her emotions and senses distant.

_'Kenshin…'_ she tried to speak aloud, but though her lips moved, there was no sound. She watched with a detached sort of astonishment as he twisted and moved fluidly, faster than she had ever seen him move before. For a moment, she saw him completely unfettered, as he must have been before he had been bound on that hill for five hundred and twenty-three years.

Kaoru had known that Kenshin's style, the _Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū_, was a style that utilized _Battōjutsu,_ but it was still amazing to her that Kenshin could sheath and draw his blade so rapidly in the middle of a fight and not risk leaving himself defenseless. But then, she had also known that his speed was unbelievable. His katana flickered in his hand like a flame, sparking with reflected light and vanishing from sight from time to time as Kenshin skillfully wielded it.

Shishio was fast, too, drawing on his power as a sorcerer. He and Kenshin together were moving so quickly that Kaoru could barely keep up. But she wasn't alive, exactly, wasn't limited by her human body. She was Light, and could see more than just the Now.

"You can't kill me, _Battōsai_!" Shishio laughed. "I am all-powerful! Immortal!"

Kenshin didn't reply. Kaoru suspected that he was too angry to speak. The redhead used the wall to propel himself toward Shishio.

_'Don't let him touch you!' _Kaoru cried to Kenshin as Shishio's hand lashed out as if he would punch the redhead. _'He will burn you! His touch is like a branding iron…'_

But Kenshin did not need the soundless warnings; he vanished from the reach of the blow and reappeared behind Shishio. He was too slow, however, and Shishio turned, sweeping his katana around. There was a sound like striking a flint, and flames erupted along the blade's edge. Kenshin was forced back with the hem of his _gi_ singed.

_'Kenshin!' _Kaoru screamed. Impossibly, his eyes went to her, the hard, bright gold catching her gaze. His eyes widened, as if he could actually see her, as if he could see the ethereal form of her spirit standing beside her body. He dropped into a crouch, slashing at Shishio's knees and making the sorcerer back up. Then the redhead was sprinting, sheathing his sword as he went, seemingly aiming for her. No, not her. Her _body_. Kenshin swept up her limp form into his arms without breaking stride, and Kaoru found herself jerked along after him like a horse on a tether.

Later Kaoru would understand that Kenshin had called upon every last mote of the wizards' power that had remained in his being after he'd renounced it as he fled from Shishio's underground palace. At the time, she was barely aware of anything. As soon as Kenshin had gathered her motionless body in his arms, she snapped back into it, somewhat. At least enough to feel the wind rushing against her face as he ran, and to hear Kenshin's heartbeat where her head rested against his chest. Her eyes were slightly open, enough so that she could just barely make out their surroundings. All she could see was a blur, because Kenshin was running so quickly. She could feel the jolting of his strides acutely, because each jolt threatened to displace her spirit again. She was not in her body fully; the most she had was a tenuous hold. She couldn't even make her fingers twitch.

Sooner than she thought possible, she could hear the leaves of trees rustling with the wind of their passing. Kenshin had gotten them out of Shishio's palace, and beyond the dead zone around it, with inhuman speed.

"Don't die, please don't die…" Kenshin muttered, almost frantically, to her. His steps slowed to a walk, and Kaoru dimly felt his heart pounding against her ear. His arms were gentle and warm as he clutched her to him.

It must have been night, because al Kaoru could see from between her nearly-closed eyelids was darkness. There was a rustling and then she was placed down on something. Slowly, the feel of grass resolved itself in her mind. Kenshin had placed her on the ground. As he slid his arms from around her, Kaoru felt her spirit slipping, floating away from the anchor of her body. She cried out and grasped for a hold, but it was useless. She floated free again, separate from her corporeal self. Vision, or whatever one would call it in a spirit, trickled back, and Kaoru could see Kenshin crouched by her head, panting. He used the back of his hand to wipe a bit of blood away from his mouth. He gasped for a brief moment, trying to regulate his breathing, and then he took a deep breath, let it our shakily, wiped his hands briskly on his _hakama_, and leaned over her.

There was pain as he inspected her injured shoulder, and when he touched the burned skin of her throat, but she was distanced from it. She watched, standing next to her own unresponsive body, as he peeled her blood-soaked _gi_ away from her shoulder. She blinked when he froze, hand hovering above the wound, ears pricked. He'd heard, or sensed, something in the woods around them.

Kenshin stood smoothly, silently, poised for a lightning-fast attack, should any target present itself. There was rustling from the trees, and his amber gaze lifted to scan the thick branches. An enemy could easily leap from limb to limb, traversing the network of trees rather than any path on the ground.

The slight, almost imperceptible, shifting in the leaves of a tree to his left alerted him, and Kenshin threw himself to the side in a controlled roll as several kunai flew through the air toward him.

"Stay back!" a young voice shouted, and a small figure dropped from the trees down between Kenshin and Kaoru's body. "I won't let you hurt her!"

_'Hurt… what, me? But Kenshin was helping!' _Kaoru felt a combination of anguish and amusement at this odd turn of events.

"Step away," Kenshin ordered icily. "My companion is already wounded, and I must see to her injuries."

"How do I know you're not some sort of bandit or something?" demanded the figure in a girlish voice. "You look like a bandit to me!"

And without any further ado, the stranger dashed toward Kenshin. Kaoru started.

_'Is that kid actually attacking Kenshin?!' _she thought in horror.

"_Kencho Giri_!" Kaoru gasped as the girl leaped toward Kenshin. He would kill her!

But Kaoru's fears were unwarranted. Kenshin neatly ducked the girl's kick, grabbed her ankle, and tossed her to the side.

"Eeeeiiaa!" The shriek was punctuated by a crunch as the girl landed in a large bush. Sputtering in indignant, self-righteous anger, she fought her way out of the branches. She glared at Kenshin with flashing turquoise eyes. "Who d'you think you are?! Nobody tosses Makimachi Misao into bushes and gets away with it!"

Kenshin had returned to kneel beside Kaoru's body once more, and didn't bother even glancing at the girl. He said: "Either be silent or leave."

"What?!" The girl's fists clenched. She glared and muttered. Kenshin ignored her. But she did not leave. Instead, she drifted closer, watching Kenshin wipe the blood from Kaoru's wounds. The girl winced as the scrap of cloth he was using quickly became saturated.

"She needs a healer," she told Kenshin. He bowed his head.

"I know." This softly. The girl hesitated.

"My…my village is not far. We have a healer…" she trailed off as Kenshin swung his head around to look at her. His amber eyes were piercing, and they searched her face.

"Show me," he said. The girl blinked.

"Huh?" Obviously, she hadn't thought he would submit so easily to the suggestion.

"Show me the way to your village," Kenshin repeated. He gathered Kaoru's body in his arms again. As he did so, Kaoru found herself being drawn back into it. She nearly panicked as everything went black, but quickly realized that the darkness was because she was using her corporeal eyes again, and they were closed.

_'I… I almost forgot what it was like to live,' _she thought, appalled and terrified. _'I almost forgot!'_

"I… it's this way," said the girl, waving vaguely. Kenshin nodded, the girl stared for a heartbeat longer, and then she turned and began to lead him through the trees.

"Who are you?" she questioned after a while. "I am Makimachi Misao, of the Oniwabanshu."

"The… Oniwabanshu?" Kenshin repeated. There was a tone to his voice, like somebody trying to recall something. "They were… once based in… Edo, weren't they?"

"Yes, there have always been Oniwabanshu in Edo, until Shishio came," Misao replied bitterly. "He drove us out, killing half of us and injuring the rest. We came here to heal up. We're trying to figure out a way to attack him now."

"You are wasting your time," Kenshin told her, and then, before she could take offense, he added: "Nobody can defeat him except for another who has Power… or had it once…"

"Well, we have to _try_," Misao replied, her voice slightly sulky. "We can't just sit around and wait for somebody who might not show up, might not even exist! Shishio could kill us all before we found somebody like you described."

"That won't happen." Kenshin said dismissively. Silence fell upon them. The gentle rocking of Kenshin's gait was lulling Kaoru to sink even further into the twilight between waking and sleeping. She still felt slightly… thin. Like her spirit might at any moment lift up and drift away.

"I… I am Himura Kenshin."

"Huh?" The girl was confused; it was clear from her tone.

"You asked me who I was. I am Himura Kenshin. And I… was once an apprentice wizard."

"You were _what_?" cried Misao. "But then… You meant yourself, when you said…"

"Yes." Silence again. They must have been drawing closer to the village, because Kaoru could hear gravel crunch underfoot. Gravel meant roads…

"What…what happened to her?" Kaoru guessed that Misao had gestured to her limp body with the last word. The question was tentative, as if the girl wasn't quite sure she wanted to know.

"She tried to fight Shishio," Kenshin replied, voice dull and unhappy.

"Oh…" the girl uttered almost inaudibly. Or perhaps Kaoru could not hear it because of the heavy fatigue that was settling even deeper inside her bones. The sound of a door opening filtered though. "Here. This is the _Aoiya,_ where we all stay."

Kaoru lost the thread of awareness then.

)0(

What she could remember next was lying on a futon, under a soft cover. She felt somebody bathing her forehead with a cool cloth. She tried to move, but couldn't.

_'So I am still not quite alive…'_ she thought dimly. She felt as if there was a wall between her mind and her body. Or perhaps as if her soul and her body were overlapping but not syncing. She reflected whimsically that, if her spirit were visible, she would probably look like the double-image that appears when you look at someone with your eyes crossed.

"Healer Gensai?" asked a voice softly, "How is she?"

"Her spirit is adrift, but her body still lives. Her wounds are healing, and she is in no danger from them, but…" an old man's voice answered the question as the cool cloth was removed from Kaoru's head.

"That is Shishio's doing," said Kenshin's voice. "He enjoys tearing the spirit from a body and making a puppet of the empty shell."

"B-but, he didn't… you know… succeed, did he?" That voice was easily recognized as the girl's- Misao's.

"We can't know… until she wakes," Kenshin said, a hint of anger in his voice. He clearly did not like the prospect of her waking as a puppet.

"There is not much else we can do for her, except let her rest," said the elderly man's voice. There was a shuffling and the sound of somebody with creaky joints rising to their feet.

"Thank you, Healer Gensai," Misao said quietly. "I think that _Ojiisan_ wanted to speak with you. I'll show you to him."

A little while after the two left, Kenshin suddenly cursed and smote the _tatami_ with a fist. The sudden noise startled Kaoru, and she jumped. Her spirit was displaced from her body as the startled jerk translated into a sideways drifting. She could suddenly see.

"Why?" Kenshin whispered, head bent. He looked at Kaoru's body's face, eyes glinting. "I will kill him. I won't allow you to be his puppet."

_'Kenshin…'_ she whispered without sound.

_'You know he can't hear you,' _said a 'voice' behind her. Kaoru twisted around, her ethereal form shivering in surprise. There was another spirit in the room with her and Kenshin. A pair of ice-blue eyes watched the red-haired swordsman leave the room from beneath messy black bangs.

_'You're-!' _Kaoru exclaimed. It was the boy, the dead, puppet boy from Shishio's palace! Only… in the palace, it had been his body. Now it was his spirit.

_'I heard you… and felt the resonance. I am Enishi. Shishio took my body, and so now I wander.'_

Kaoru didn't ask what he meant by resonance, because she could feel it now, too. There was a sort of familiar feel to his presence. Kaoru wondered if it was a sort of fingerprint left by Shishio's magic. _'So you aren't… completely dead? I'm… not dead?'_

Enishi didn't reply. He stared at her motionless body. _'He killed my sister, too, you know. Shishio did. I went to kill him for revenge. But instead, he killed me and set my soul adrift.'_

_'He found me after I had escaped from my family,' _said a new voice. Kaoru looked over to her other side and gaped at the smoky image of the boy Sōjirō. _'They abused me, but at last I couldn't take any more, and I killed them. But it killed me, at least partially, to do so. Shishio just made my soul let go a little more, enough for him to take over. But the spell wasn't complete; I can still see and feel everything that he make my body do.'_

_'I…I'm sorry,' _Kaoru said lamely, to both of them. They turned their smoky-piercing eyes on her, dull-intense fires sparking in them. She felt chilled. Did she look as frightening as they?

_'We want you to do something for us,' _they intoned in unison. _'We wish you to aid us.'_

_'What do you ask?' _she replied, a trifle uneasily.

_'Free us…'_

_'Free us…' _The voices of the two boys flanking her were sibilant and echoing of a great many other voices. Women, men, young, old… their voices layered upon each other so that their noise grew to be like thunder. Kaoru shook.

_'We wish to be freed from under Shishio's heel. All of we who have been killed by his hand cannot seek the final rest while he lives.'_ This time, rather than the host of voices, the room seemed to fill and expand to hold rank upon rank of shadowy, smoky ghost forms. Shishio's victims, stretching back over the decades of his tyranny. Kaoru thought she caught a glimpse of her sister's face. She felt ghost-tears pool in her eyes and fall down her face.

_'But what can I do? I am like you!' _she cried. The spirits all shook their heads, uttering a rolling cacophony of denials. The noise died down, and Enishi spoke up.

_'No. You are not quite like us. You can still go back to your body. It lives, away from Shishio's influence. You are not blocked from returning.'_

_'We need your help. We wish to sleep,' _added Sōjirō.

_'Even if I can return to my body, that doesn't mean I can help you,'_ Kaoru protested. _'I tried to kill Shishio once already, and look where that got me!'_

_'You can't kill Shishio…'_ said the boys.

_'Then what-!' _Kaoru began to exclaim. Sōjirō held up a hand.

_'As he is, Shishio cannot be killed.'_

_'So then, what am I supposed to do?'_ asked Kaoru grumpily.

_'Make it so he can be killed,' _replied Enishi.

_'But-'_

_'We cannot tell you more. Even as spirits, Shishio has power over us. But we may tell you that he has already given you a hint, himself,' _Sōjirō said. _'If you but remember and think on it.'_

_"I don't understand,' _Kaoru told the boy. He stepped forward toward her as the many spirits behind him faded from sight. Once again it was only Kaoru, Enishi, and Sōjirō in the room.

_'Go, return to your body. Think on it,' _Sōjirō repeated. He reached up and pushed Kaoru back with a hand to her forehead. She toppled, her insubstantial being twisting and pouring back toward her body.

* * *

_TERMS_

_ Battōjutsu- the art of drawing the katana quickly from the sheath and cutting in the same smooth motion. Often incorporates multiple cuts, rather than simply slicing once and returning the sword to the sheath._

_Kencho Giri- 'demon bird kick.' Misao's technique. A high kick that descends down upon the victim's head/back._

_Ojiisan- 'grandfather.'_


	14. Chapter 14: Living in the Past

_Woot! Next chapter! I'm really in high spirits today. It's so nice and warm outside… you just have to ignore the huge puddles of snowmelt and the muddy, dead grass. And I went to the midnight opening of 300 on Thursday. That was quite amusing. I laughed a lot, because it was rather stylized and sometimes quite cliché, but it was very entertaining all the same. I would recommend seeing it, especially in the theatre, because you need the loud surround sound and massive screen aspect to make it great. Anyway…_

_Here's ch. 14. Hope you like. There isn't much action, but a good deal of pretty important information. Please Read & Review!!_

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Time was an inconsistent thing to Kaoru. It seemed to jump around a good deal, hours passing like seconds and seconds passing like hours. She was occasionally aware of people kneeling beside her, or standing in the room and speaking quietly. There was Kenshin's voice, Misao's, the healer Gensai's, and occasionally a new male voice that Kaoru didn't recognize.

"Gensai, is the woman's condition still the same?"

"Yes, it has neither worsened nor bettered."

"What of her companion's wounds?" There was a sigh following this question.

"Physically, his wounds are healing well. But… he is in torment mentally and emotionally. This hinders his recovery," replied the old healer. Kaoru was drifting up closer to awareness and heard the voices with more clarity. But she was still insecure in her body, her spirit wavering over it like a vapour. The push Sōjirō had given her had put her back into her mortal self a little more- she was using her ears and eyes and smell and touch, anyway- but she was still not quite all there. She still felt insubstantial and as if she were floating.

"Aoshi, I think he might benefit if you were to speak with him."

"There is nothing I can say to him that he has not already said to himself," replied the second, younger, male voice calmly. "The man is no fool."

That seemed to be the end of that, and the voices faded. Kaoru drifted in the darkness of her half-conscious state, thinking.

_'The spirits of those two boys told me that Shishio had given me a clue to defeating him. Well, that's just great, seeing as I can't remember it and they can't tell me more than that.'_ If she could have sighed, she would have. As it was, she huffed out a non-existent breath dully. _'Maybe if I try to remember everything he said to me… I mean, it wasn't much…'_

She thought hard. The lunatic had implied something about his being the most powerful… and something about his worthiness as the ruler of the world… but that was basically it. It was a very predictable 'I'm the best, I'm the strongest, I'm a god among men, blah blah blah' rant. He was just shooting his mouth off, trying to get her to lose hope and give up, right? What sort of hint were Enishi and Sōjirō talking about?

A warmth settled beside her, a person seated stiffly near her elbow. Somehow she knew it was Kenshin even before he spoke.

"Kaoru." Her name was said carefully, and there was a pause before he continued. "There is still hope. Do not give up. You cannot be lost…"

Another long pause, and had she not felt the warmth of his body near her, she would have though he'd left. But he spoke again.

"Aoshi and Misao have pledged to help in our fight against Shishio. They had been fighting already, but now they have pledged to assist me, because I am the only one who can kill him. So we have the Oniwabanshu behind us, as well as the men who stand with the King. And as long as we have men and women who would fight, we have hope. I… I have been… perhaps foolish in my thinking that I had to do this completely alone. I have been foolish in many things, and my foolishness has cost you… and everybody in this kingdom…"

Kaoru wanted to smack Kenshin, but she had no control over her physical body and her spirit-self couldn't touch him. So she contented herself with shouting irately at him, even though he couldn't hear her.

_'You idiot! Not _everything_ is your fault!'_

"I wish it hadn't happened like this. I never… I never wanted you to be hurt. I never wanted anybody to be hurt." Kenshin took a deep breath and continued. "When I was very young, the Power manifested itself in me. I was marked as a wizard, and it wasn't long before Seijurō Hiko came for me. But at that time, my family was stricken with disease, and I did not wish to leave them. I begged him to heal them, but he told me he couldn't. And because he also told me that I had wizard power, I wanted to try to cure them too. But the power failed me a second time. There are some things... that even magic cannot change. My family was too far gone to bring back. They died.

"This very first experience with magic embittered me to it. What use was power if it could not save those you loved? But I didn't know, then, that you could give up the power. So I went to live and to train with my _shishou_. Then, when I was eight, I learned the spell that would rid me of the curse of the magic. But I was too young, too eager, and the spell was sloppy. I was left with a small seed of power still in me. I decided to ignore it; it was small enough that I could do so easily. And I continued to stay with _shishou_, learning swordsmanship. But when we learned of Shishio, and what he was doing with his magic, I felt that I couldn't just stand by and watch my homeland be destroyed as _shishou_ suggested we do. He was limited by the need to keep his powers untainted, but I was under no such restrictions. I went to the King, and pledged myself to his service after proving my skill with a katana and wakizashi. I was thirteen. I became a killer, and by fifteen, I was skilled enough in that role to earn my nickname.

"But I was far from content, not close to proud of my actions. I had chosen this path with the pure intention to help people. Where it led me was to an assassin's place. Shishio did not just have _obaki _on his side, then. He used men as well. It is only recently that he chose to change his human followers into monsters such as those that attacked the King that one night in Kyoto." Kaoru was entranced in Kenshin's tale, and all of her attention, every last speck of her mind, was focused on his voice. She could almost see the images of his memories. "I realized that the grief and guilt that were building up in me were threatening to break me, but I also knew that I could not stop, not then. I could not go back on my pledge, so I went on killing. I walled off my emotions and became essentially dead to the world. I ceased thinking about anything other than what was necessary to keep me alive. I became as cold and efficient a murderer as any of Shishio's monsters. I withdrew further into my mind, losing sense of time and self. Then I met Shishio in battle, and ended up bound to that hill. It was almost a relief, to be a spirit and unburdened by emotions. But I still possessed coherent thought, and I knew that what I truly wanted was a complete death, an ending to the slaughter I caused."

Kenshin paused, and Kaoru felt her heart wrench as she realized that he was trembling. She wished she could put her arms around him.

"But when you released me, and told me that Shishio was still alive, I knew I had to finish what I had set out to do. There was only one problem… you."

Kaoru blinked, surprised. Kenshin shifted, and Kaoru had the impression that he was bowing his head, body bent under sorrow and grief.

"I didn't want anyone else to become involved, because I had to finish it, for myself. I needed closure. But… I also didn't want anyone as innocent as you to be corrupted as I had been. I was already tainted, cursed to live a doomed life, and so I didn't worry about having to do whatever needed to be done to kill Shishio. I didn't want you to dirty your hands with blood, but I didn't see how you could survive hunting Shishio without killing. I could see that you weren't one to give up, and you were set on taking Shishio down. I found myself wanting to protect you. But I couldn't… I couldn't. I'm sorry." Kenshin fell silent, and Kaoru waited soberly, feeling that there was something else the redhead was struggling to tell her. But at that moment, the _fusuma_ slid open and someone shuffled in.

"_Sumimasen_. I need to check her wounds and change the bandages," said the voice of the elderly healer. He didn't sound like he was asking permission. Kenshin stood and left quietly and the old man- wasn't his name Gensai?- settled down next to me.

"That young man is tearing himself to pieces, fretting over you," he confided in Kaoru. What is it with people talking to her unconscious, three-quarters-dead body? Perhaps there was something comforting about the fact that she couldn't hear them… or so they thought. Little did they know.

Kaoru sighed. _'I have more on my mind now than I ever did when I was… er… completely alive.'_

It was true, too. Her mind was still reeling from her talk with Enishi and Sōjirō, and the questions that that little speech had planted in her head, and now Kenshin's unexpected and inexplicable desire to give her his life story had introduced a whole new circle of convoluted thoughts to her.

_'I can't do this. I _can't_.'_

She felt a sudden spurt of panic, and scrunched her eyes shut in a futile attempt to block it all out. But, of course, she _couldn't _close her eyes because: a) they were already closed, and b) she still had no motor-functions. And she couldn't shut out her own thoughts, because they were in her head with her. So she did the next best thing. She threw herself into the past, into her memories. Those were safe enough. Nothing uncertain about them, because they'd already happened, right? Safe…

_She was safe! Her legs were trembling with relief… or perhaps it was still in terror. She couldn't tell anymore. All she wanted to do was collapse into great, noisy tears. Kaoru sucked in a hiccupping breath, but couldn't seem to make her body relax enough to let it go. Tomoe, turning to her little sister, took one look at Kaoru's face and dropped her katana, gathering Kaoru into her arms._

_"Oh, little sister…" Tomoe whispered. Kaoru pressed her face into Tomoe's shoulder, the comforting smell of her older sister's perfume encircling her and reassuring her that it really was alright._

_"Onee-san! He was… he was going to…" Kaoru's sobs were muffled._

_"Hush. He will not hurt you. I chased him away," Tomoe soothed her both with words and a slender hand rubbing Kaoru's back. The eight-year-old just cried harder, with the relief that her sister had come to save her. The thief who had waylaid her while she was running to the market to get tofu for her family's supper would have killed her for the silver half-crown she carried. Tomoe, knowing that the small eight-year-old would not have been able to carry the heavy tofu bucket by herself, had chased after her little sister, arriving just in time to scare off the brigand. Kaoru already had idolized her older sister. After that tense moment in the alley, she would come to nearly worship her._

Kenshin's voice brought Kaoru back from her memories. Disoriented, she wondered briefly how much time had elapsed since he was last there. If she didn't know better, she'd have said he hadn't ever left. He was sitting in the same place, in the same position, and was speaking in the same matter as previously. But Kaoru remembered clearly Gensai tending to her wounds… Nevermind; Kenshin was talking, and Kaoru focused in on his words as before.

"I never told you where this scar on my cheek came from. I've seen you glancing at it from time to time, and I know you've probably wondered about it…" Kaoru would have flushed if she could. She hadn't thought he noticed that. "The truth is, I don't much care for talking about it… but I think perhaps you should know…

"This scar was not made at once. It was formed one slash at a time. This one-" Kaoru assumed he traced the line with a finger "-was from the second man I ever killed."

Kenshin paused and then repeated: "The _second _man. Not the first. No. The first time I ever killed, it was quick, silent. One moment the man was alive and breathing, the next he was dead, with his throat slit. I was faster and quieter on my feet than I had ever guessed. He never knew I was there. All I had to do was get my blade across his neck, and I did so, striking exactly as I had been taught. And suddenly I was standing with a body at my feet, a man's blood soaking into my _zori_. Blood that _I _had spilled. I was thirteen. I'm not sure how I kept from losing my mind then.

"With my second target, I was experienced. It was no longer like practice for me, as the first time had been. It had sunk in that what I was doing was real, that I was killing actual men. So I hesitated, just before the blow. He cut me, but I was fast, and his blade only grazed my cheek. I was so surprised, I gutted him before I knew what I was doing."

_'Kenshin…'_ Kaoru said, her voice so full of compassion that it broke. But he couldn't hear her, and the tension she could feel in his body as he sat there did not lessen.

"The… the second cut… the one that made the scar into an 'X', it came later. It was near the end. I was given an assignment to kill somebody who had been given information to Shishio's followers. I took it, and gladly. The information had gotten hundreds of the King's men killed. I was… eager… to eliminate this threat. I was given a time and a location, a street where the target would be walking at a certain time at night. But when I arrived there, the person I was facing was not some warrior man. The target was a woman. I had not killed a woman before, and I was not really willing to do so in that moment. Like with the first cut, this second one was made at the time of my hesitation. The woman knew me for what I was and pulled a _tanto_ from her _obi_. She cut my face, and briefly I hoped she would run, but she turned again to come at me. The second time she attacked, I could not control the part of me that was _Hitokiri Battōsai._ I beheaded her before she had taken more than two steps."

_Beheaded._ With that one word ringing in her mind, Kaoru was tossed back into her memories.

_There was an edge to the breeze that day, the weather reminding them that winter was not so long ago that all its bite was gone, but Kaoru was shivering for a reason other than the chill. The Messengers had received word of the deaths of two more of their number. Or more accurately, Kaoru had just delivered the news to Katsura-sama, who had in turn informed the other Messengers. Having to go through Recall once to tell the King how she had come upon Haru and Michiko's severed heads, impaled upon spikes and set on display by the roadside, on her return journey to Edo was bad enough. Having to do it a second time for the remaining Messengers made doubly sure that she would have nightmares. Which was why Kaoru wasn't inside, asleep, when the watch called midnight hour. She didn't want to face the dreams, so she was out in the field where the Messenger horses were kept, staring up at the stars and trying not to dwell on the memory._

_"We'll get the bastard," Kaoru whispered to the ghosts of her dead comrades. "We'll get Shishio, so go on to your well-deserved rest."_

Of course, that was before she'd been informed that those who Shishio had killed were _not_ able to go on to their final rest. Back then,she had been more optimistic about the outcome of the war. Back then, Tomoe had still been alive. She had been as devastated as Kaoru to learn of Haru and Michiko's deaths; all of the Messengers had been so close, almost like family…

_Haru, Ryo, and Takeshi were roaring with laughter at one of light-hearted Yuki's stories when Kaoru walked into the Messengers' common room, exhausted after a day of hard running. She'd had to carry a message to Junji Province, a journey that a Messenger could usually split into two days, but Kaoru'd had to take in one because of the urgency of the message. The warmth and happiness within the common room was enough to melt away the cramps in her muscles and the tension that came with running messages in this unstable time. There were rumours of strange creatures attacking travelers on the roads._

_"Kaoru-chan, c'mere; you won't believe Yuki's latest escapade!" called Haru, beckoning languidly with a hand as he chortled. "Tell it again, Yuki! I don't think I've ever laughed this hard…"_

_"Aw, I don't wanna tell it again so soon! Kaoru, you'll have to wait until the laugh seeps back into this one. But for now-" Yuki's brown eyes lit up as the door opened again and Michiko entered, carrying an armload of wood for the wide hearth that adorned one wall of the common room. "-I want to hear our magnificent Bard Michiko sing us a tale of woe and heart-ache!"_

_"Oh no, spare us, please, Michiko!" protested Ryo and Takeshi in unison._

_"Give us one of the Warrior cycles instead," added Takeshi, naming one of the most popular ballads in the kingdom. They were all about thrilling battles and admirable heroes, and generally had a more lively tempo than their sorrowful, romantic counterparts._

_Michiko rolled her eyes at the group, groaning. "You people and your demands! I never get a moment of rest around here!"_

_But she said it in jest, and was smiling as she accepted her _shamisen_ from Haru. Settling herself comfortably on the floor, a cushion under her folded legs, Michiko looked up at her audience._

_"I'll need to tune it," she warned them. "I've been carrying messages all month; I haven't been in residence at the palace for a while, and I loosened the strings before I left for storage."_

_"Alright," they agreed easily, and turned to one another for conversation. After a few moments, Ryo said suddenly:_

_"If we all had symbols to stand for us, like the warriors and their clan crests, Michiko's would be her _shamisen_."_

_There was a pause in the conversation, and then Haru laughed. "Yes, of course! And yours would be a horse at full gallop."_

_"Oh, yes, Ryo! Because you're the best horseman of us all!" laughed Kaoru, clapping her hands happily._

_"What about me?" Yuki asked eagerly, "What would my symbol be?"_

_"Hmmm…" Haru and Ryo pretended to think deeply. Then Ryo snapped his fingers. "I've got it! A daikon radish."_

_"What?!" exclaimed Yuki. "Why a daikon radish?"_

_"Because," Haru answered for them all, a twinkle of good humour in his dark eyes,"we all remember the infamous incident involving a certain Messenger trainee who was in too much of a hurry to notice the cart full of daikon radishes that was crossing the street…"_

_Yuki shrieked with mock-fury, snatched up a spare cushion, and hurled it at him. Haru ducked, laughing. Yuki sniffed, and tossed her hair._

_"Well, it's better than a hulking great mass of cold metal hanging 'round my neck! Really, I pity Katsura-sama; that Royal Crest must be uncomfortable."_

_"Well, it might be heavy, but I don't think it would be cold," protested Takeshi. "It'd warm up after wearing it for a while."_

_"No, my mother's cousin is one of the King's personal servants. He polishes the crest every day, and he says that it's always really cold," Yuki said. "Even after the King had been wearing it all day."_

_"He does wear it on the outside of his robes. Maybe his body-heat wouldn't warm it through all the layers he wears," suggested Ryo. Privately, Kaoru thought that Katsura-sama didn't wear that many layers of kimono, but she didn't say so, as Michiko spoke up from where she sat on the floor._

_"Hey, you guys want to hear something, or what?" The discussion was dropped in favour of Michiko's voice and song._

* * *

_TERMS_

_fusuma- sliding doors, made out of heavy paper and wood. Give more privacy than shoji._

_sumimasen- as word that serves a great many purposes in Japanese. In this context, it's mostly an attention getting device and quasi-apology for interrupting. Like when you say 'excuse me' before cutting into a conversation in English._

_zori- Japanese sandals/shoes. Some are made from woven straw._

_tanto- a small dagger or knife._

_obi- the sash (of a sort) that is wrapped and tied(often elaborately) around the waist with a kimono._

_shamisen- a three-stringed musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi._


	15. Chapter 15: I LIIIIVE!

_Hello hello. I'm back with the next installment_. _And guess what? Kaoru actually wakes up in this one! Yay! Okay, enjoy and please READ & REVIEW!!!_

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**Chapter 15**

As Kaoru floated back up from the most recent dive into her memories, she wondered with a curious sort of detachment if she was dying. Didn't they say that the dying had memories of their past flit before them, like some sort of review? 'So then, here's where you came from, how you came to where you are, and here's how you'll end, which coincidentally will happen right _now_.'

_'I'm getting quite giddy and silly as I die,' _Kaoru thought, wanting suddenly to giggle. She could feel more serious thoughts trickling through her mind, distant and at the back, but as sleep-drunk as she was they merely felt like feathers tickling her. She couldn't quite make them out. If she really tried, they would focus somewhat into recognizable images, but the effort was too great for her half-there mind.

_Kaoru._

Spirit-Kaoru jerked, and, like a fish on a line, was drawn unceremoniously from the dark water of her subconscious. Confusion and delirium reigned for a moment, and then she slipped into a more cognizant state. Kenshin was back.

_'His voice continues to draw me back,' _Kaoru thought with relief. _'I fear what would happen if he stopped coming, and I was left alone to my thoughts. Would I simply fade away into my memories, lost forever in the depths of my own mind?'_

A sudden thought struck her. _'Perhaps that is why he keeps coming to talk to my body. Does he think that it will call me back? It does, Kenshin! It works! But only enough so that I hear you and am aware… It is not enough to bring me completely back… Something more needs to be done.'_

Just what that 'something more' was, Kaoru had no idea. And she could not spare the time to ponder it. She was still working on the puzzle presented to her by Enishi and Sōjirō. She needed to make it so Shishio could be killed? So then, what- was he immortal? He'd certainly claimed to be, when he was fighting with Kenshin. Oh, right… Kenshin… he was talking to her again.

"Kaoru, I should return this to you. I took it from around your neck when we first arrived here. I'm sorry. I did so because I was no yet sure of these people; I was still suspicious of them, but you needed a healer's care, so my hand was forced. I… I took this so that, in the event that things became as bad as I feared they might, it would not fall into unfriendly hands. I should have returned it to you before this, but it seemed almost to be a t-" he cut himself off and paused. Kaoru wondered what he almost said. It seemed to be a what? A trifle? A… token?

There was a lingering feeling of truth to the last, and Kaoru felt a 'blush' rage across her 'cheeks.'

_'Dear Kenshin, if it warmed you that much to carry this item with you, I would have you keep it rather than return it to me.'_

She felt something brush across the skin of her throat, on her real body, and knew that Kenshin was tying whatever it was around her neck. Something heavy and round settled on her chest. It was warm from Kenshin's holding it, warm against her cool skin. And the weight of it was familiar, in two ways. And just as with all the other triggers, this one brought several memories surging up to wipe reality away.

_Kaoru felt as if her heart would burst with pride as the King looped the medallion over her head, settling it around her neck so that the bright metal disc- engraved with the crane emblem of the ruling House- lay glinting against the clean white of her ceremonial _gi_. She had done it. She would serve Katsura-sama in the ranks of the King's Messengers. It was the greatest moment of her life, and in that moment of shining, joyous glory, she felt that nothing could ever ruin it._

The soaring feeling of the happiness of that day, seemingly so long ago- a lifetime, at least- was as pure and strong as the day she'd first felt it. Then the next memory came and, with it, a sinking sensation.

_Kaoru was in the most remote and isolated corners of the Royal Gardens, where visitors to the Gardens seldom came. It was a place that few knew about, and that was why Kaoru was there, sobbing desolately into her hands. She was a Messenger, one of the last. She needed to show courage and strength, for the King and for her country. There was no time for weakness now. The ranks of the Messengers had dwindled so that only she and Tomoe remained. Tomoe was staying strong. Kaoru never saw her cry. Instead, Tomoe stood straight and tall, going about her duty without hesitation. Kaoru tried to do the same, but the pain would build and build, until she had to flee to this lonely corner and weep herself hoarse. It never occurred to Kaoru that perhaps her sister had to do the same, just as often, and put on her strong façade for the same reasons Kaoru put on hers._

_The corner was supposed to be isolated, withdrawn from the world where Guards and servants and Kings walked. That was why Kaoru chose it for her emotional purging. She didn't want to expose her weakness to those who might be affected by it. So she was rather startled when arms suddenly encircled her as she wept._

_Her head snapped up, and through her streaming eyes, she just barely made out the kingly figure of… the King. Instantly, guilt flushed through her._

_"I-I-I'm s-sorry," she gulped, sobs breaking apart the words. "I shou-ldn't cry, b-but…"_

_"No," Katsura-sama said softly, not releasing her. "Weep. Cry away the poison of grief and hopelessness. It is the denying of tears that weakens you, not the tears themselves."_

_What emotional barriers could survive that sort of compassion and understanding? Certainly not any of the ones Kaoru had shakily erected in the moments after seeing who it was who embraced her in her sorrow. She threw her arms around her King, and sobbed into his chest. He held her gently, shedding his character of King and offering the silent support of friendship to the distraught Kaoru._

_She paid little mind to the Royal Crest, which- as always- hung around the King's neck, a larger and grander version of the crest she carried on her Messenger medallion, even when the chill of its golden edge bit into her cheek. It was cold, just as poor, dead Yuki had said it was that one night, the last night of peace and the first night a Messenger was killed. Ironic, that the Royal Crest worn by Katsura-sama was so cold and so at odds with the burning heat of Shishio._

"I am leaving."

Kaoru struggled, hearing Kenshin's voice. She didn't know how long the memories had occupied her, unsure if it was the same day or several later. But the redhead's words brought a chill of fear to her. Leave? No! He couldn't; she would drift away forever!

_There was something, a realization… an epiphany… growing in her thoughts, in the back of her mind… It swelled like the breath before a great shout, prepared to be big, striking. _

"Aoshi and Misao have agreed to help me get inside Shishio's palace once more. Four members of the Oniwabanshu will accompany me, and give me assistance so I can enter. Then I will find and kill Shishio. When he dies, you will be released, and…" Kenshin paused. "And you will recover."

It sounded like it was a demand rather than a fact. You might not live, but I'm telling you to, so you'd better obey, dammit! But what about Kenshin? Would he survive? This plan had the feel of a 'throw everything I've got into a last strike' type of mission, where the hero ends up getting his acknowledgements and praise posthumously. And Kaoru was having none of that.

_Still it grew, forming, crystallizing. But she couldn't quite make out what it was or what it would be yet. Her mind was still too jumbled and confused from the waking-sleep her spirit was held in, and from being flung back into her memories and past so many times without warning._

"Once Shishio is dead, the King's forces and the Oniwabanshu will be able to finish off the _obake_ and whatever else Shishio has up his sleeve. And it will be over. Finally over," Kenshin nearly sighed the words and Kaoru was pained by the hopeful-desolate tone of his voice.

_The thought was important! So very important! Though she still didn't know what it was exactly, she could feel its importance. It pulsed, like a heart, like something living. The beat reverberated through her, urgency in its rhythm, pitch, and timbre._

"Kaoru…" Kenshin's voice as he spoke her name this time was low and intense with some startling emotion. "I apologise. I am about to take advantage of your immobile condition this once. I hope you will forgive me. Perhaps you will not remember, but I hope, if you are aware of anything that occurs to you as you lie here, you are aware of this moment."

Perplexed, Kaoru barely had time to ponder what he meant when she felt the light puff of warm breath fan across her face. And then Kenshin's lips pressed gently against hers.

The kiss was chaste, light and quick. Kenshin was up and gone a split second later, leaving Kaoru behind with a barely audible "Farewell."

But the effect on Kaoru was explosive, thunderous, earth-shaking. She felt the sensation of the kiss ripple through her whole body, and could feel the warmth of his lips lingering on hers, both tangible and intangible. All her emotions leaped, swelling like a great wave and crashing over her. All she could to was gasp, for in that moment, that brief second when Kenshin kissed her, everything _clicked_.

He had kissed both her body and her soul at the same time, and that contact anchored her, brought her fully into herself. She could feel everything: the texture of the fabric covering her, the stiffness of her limbs from lying motionless, the tickle of her hair against her skin. And she could smell the herbs the healer had used in dressing her wounds; faintly the scent of cooking threaded through her nose. She could hear the creak of the wood of the building, the shuffle of feet in the other rooms, the soft murmur of voices beyond the walls of her room. And she realized… realized…

_'KENSHIN!!' _her mind screamed, and she began to fight, struggling to move, to speak, to do _something_ to stop him from leaving, because he was going to his death. There was no hope for him to win in a battle against Shishio, not as Shishio was now. Kaoru struggled to move, trying to get her body up and in motion through pure force of will. But her traitorous body would not comply. Though she could feel the warmth of life seeping back into her body, beginning at her heart and spreading out from there until her toes and fingertips tingled with it, she could not so much as flutter an eyelash.

_'Please… please…'_ Kaoru prayed breathlessly, to the deities of the old religions, to the god of the _kirishitan_ keeping, to whatever benevolent being might hear and take pity. _'Please… I love him. I must help him…'_

Perhaps she was attempting too much at once, and overloading her body with the commands she was sending it to stand up and sprint after Kenshin. Kaoru capitulated and began to focus on simply getting the fingers on her hands to move. She lay there, _willing _her fingers to twitch, to tap the futon. Her effort was great, and exhausting. Sweat- _'I actually am sweating! And I can actually feel it!'_- beaded on her brow.

She didn't know how long she lay there, exerting every last ounce of strength to will her body into movement; it only seemed like a short while, as she was enclosed in a bubble encompassing the struggle and only the struggle. And then… at last… Her hands twitched, half-closing into fists.

As if that were a signal, or the last barrier blocking her way, Kaoru's body exploded off her futon and she was out of the room before she even realized what her feet were doing. It seemed that her legs _had _been listening to her frantic commands of _'Run! Run!' _but had only just then obeyed. Her head swiveled around, but she didn't see any sign of Kenshin anywhere. Kaoru charged through the building as if she had lived there all her life, unerringly zeroing in on the room where she knew she'd find who she was looking for.

It was lucky that she had been wearing a _yukata _under the blankets of the futon, because she likely would not have stopped to search for clothing in her desperate rush to find her red-haired swordsman. Time was of the essence.

Kaoru threw open the _fusuma_, revealing a seated Misao and two other people to whom Kaoru could not put names. One was a solemn-looking, dark-haired man with icy eyes and the other was an elderly man with a face heavily creased with wrinkles.

"Misao!" Kaoru said, her voice sounding odd in her ears, but yet strong and clearly audible. "Where is he?"

Misao was obviously thrown for a loop, and gaped soundlessly at Kaoru. The two men regarded her with a bit more of a restrained astonishment.

"Ah, you've finally awakened!" said the elderly man, and Kaoru's mind recognized the voice and dredged up a name. Gensai. Kaoru took a step into the room, her eyes wild and flicking from face to face.

"Where is Kenshin?" she demanded slowly and urgently.

"He has left us already, two days past," answered the solemn man. Aoshi. Kaoru's eyes settled on him.

"Two days?" she repeated in anguish. "No! He mustn't face Shishio; he'll be killed!"

She trembled with the effort of restraining herself, wanting badly to sprint out of there after Kenshin. She planted her feet, digging her heels into the _tatami_. In a flurry of movement, she went to her knees, and leaned forward to press her forehead to the floor.

"Please, I beg you… Help me."

* * *

_TERMS_

_ Amaterasu- a sun goddess, and perhaps the most important Shinto deity, She is described as the god from which all light emanates, and is also often referred to as the sun goddess because of her warmth and compassion for the people who worshipped her; an interpretation of "light" or "heat" as passion, or purity._

_kirishitan- A loanword in Japanese, it means 'Christian.' Yes Christians were persecuted in Japan for a while, but my story isn't set in Japan as such. It's AU, remember?_


	16. Chapter 16: Desperation and Death

_Well people, sorry this is a bit late. Circumstances and whatnot. But anyway, here's Ch. 16. __Hope you enjoy. Please read and review!!!_**  
**

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**Chapter 16  
**

"What would you have us do?" Aoshi questioned expressionlessly as Misao tugged on Kaoru's arm, distressed by the other woman's pained desperation.

"I… How far are we from Sugihayami?" Kaoru asked, allowing the girl to coerce her into a more upright position. She could feel her arm shaking under Misao's hand. No; her whole body was quivering with tautness, prepared to burst into flight at the slightest hint of warning.

"Not even a day's walk." Aoshi watched Kaoru coolly from his pale eyes. She stared at him in surprise.

"The King is in Sugihayami. I must go to him, first. Then…" Kaoru clenched her hands into fists. "Then I need to go to Shishio."

"But," she continued after a pause. "I would like to ask you to do something, and it is not a request I make lightly. Would you fight for me, and for the King I represent?"

"Fight?" echoed Misao. Aoshi crossed his arms.

"Why?" he asked simply.

"Shishio will be gathering an army, to crush the King and his men once and for all. Don't ask how I know, I just…do. And Kenshin knows it too. That's one of the reasons he asked your help in entering Shishio's palace; he is not a master of stealth as your Oniwabanshu are. He could not sneak past an army, but your men could. I… I would have you attack the army, from the shadows. Create confusion, and stir them up, so that I can get past and so the Shishio might be… slightly preoccupied, so he cannot sense my coming."

"Would he sense your coming otherwise?" Aoshi asked, the question a lightly veiled inquiry as to her motives and standing. Kaoru guessed that Kenshin had warned them that she might wake as a puppet, and now that she was so seemingly desperate to get back to Shishio, the sharp-eyed _okashira_ was suspicious.

"Yes. His magic has left its mark on me. And… if I am right in my suspicions, he would sense me for another reason." Kaoru was blunt in admitting it. Subterfuge would only make the suspicions worse, and she was certain that Aoshi would catch any falsehood she spoke.

"What are your suspicions?"

"I…" Kaoru hesitated. "I am afraid to speak of them aloud. There is power in words, and I fear that if I speak of it, it will draw his attention."

Aoshi contemplated her a moment, before nodding slowly. "Very well."

Kaoru met his gaze with some surprise. She had hoped that he would agree to help, but it had been a rather faint hope… "You will aid me?"

"Yes."

"Oh…" Kaoru felt suddenly weak.

"Time is slipping away. Tell me your plan," Aoshi commanded. Kaoru nodded.

"I would ask that you gather whatever manpower you can and to march on Shishio's palace. I will go to the King, and ask him to mobilize his army. And then I will go toward Shishio and Kenshin and hope that I am not too late. I… may know how to end this, once and for all."

)0(

Kaoru ran lightly, with a long, easy stride that devoured ground without using too much energy. She had patterned her breathing: in, in, in, out, out, out. Inhale through the nose, exhale from the mouth. Move her arms, because her legs would follow. Everything she'd learned as Messenger. She had eaten lightly, just rice and water, before she had started out, and so she knew she'd have enough energy to make it to the King. She didn't know if she'd be able to make it all the way to Shishio's palace, but there was no time for her to waste resting after she warned the King. She had to get to Kenshin, quickly. There was no room for doubt.

Just as Aoshi had said, Sugihayami was not even a full day away, and he was reckoning the distance at a walking-pace. Kaoru had been trained to run fast and run long. She crossed the distance in less than half the time.

As she drew closer to the town, she did not slow. She charged right through the streets, breezing past any people that happened to be in her way. Her katana was slung across her back, out of the way of her running and not in danger of snagging on anything she passed. Yet she could still draw it, in an over-the-should fashion, if she needed to.

Many of the people she passed were confused, surprised by the dark-haired girl that flew past them without a word, her coming heralded only by the sound of running footsteps and the exclamations of others. She moved through the town streets like a wind, cloth and paper fluttering in her wake. But unlike the wind, which blew on without a thought of destination, she clearly had a specific location in mind.

The building was a teahouse, one that Kaoru could never remember the name of, even though it was one of the many waystations that the Messengers had used. She simply had always remembered it by location. That memory did not fail her now, and she found the building looming before her in short time. Without slowing much, she barreled toward it, and without hesitation, slammed into the door shoulder-first. It was a rather thin door, and did not hold against her assault. It didn't cave with her first impact, but when she backed up and rammed her body into it a second time, the wood and heavy paper crashed and splintered inward. The few men on the other side did not stand in surprise long, having been trained as soldiers and guards. They had their weapons out and ready by the time Kaoru had cleared the shattered remains of the door. However, she did not stop in her headlong dash. With a speed and skill born of necessity and desperation, she shook the wood splinters out of her hair and dodged around the men. Her eyes were caught by one.

Oiji, the doorman who had always greeted her cheerfully each time she had returned from a mission, who had always had a ready smile for Messengers returning, fatigued, to their headquarters in the King's Palace, was standing five paces in from the door, to the left. He looked surprised as he saw Kaoru. She met his gaze, and saw there a terrible truth. There was something dark festering within the man. She saw it, and reacted even before she realized what she was doing. Her katana sang as it left the _saya_, and flashed as it fell upon Oiji's neck with crushing force.

There was a crunch like an echo of the door, and the life left Oiji's eyes like a flame blown out. He fell. Kaoru re-sheathed her katana on the run, not even pausing to consider what she had done, or how the other men would react. She continued on into the building, smashing through _shoji, fusuma_, and walls. Some other sense was guiding her, leading her directly to where she must go.

There were shouts and sounds of running feet other than hers, but she paid them no heed. She broke through the last _fusuma_, and threw herself onto the _tatami_ of the room. She sprawled there, breathing heavily, pressing her forehead and palms against the _tatami_ in a show of subservience and benevolence.

"Kaoru!" Katsura came up on one knee in surprise, before his guards halted him and stepped between the King and the Messenger. Blades were drawn and raised.

"STAY YOUR SWORDS." Katsura's voice thundered out. In that moment he sounded so very much like a warrior-king, like one of the great warlords of the legends, and all near him froze in place. The King, Lord of the Land, rose to his feet. The Royal Crest glinted on his chest as he put a hand to the shoulder of one of the guards in front of him, moving the man aside. "Kamiya Kaoru, King's Messenger. What are you about, charging through the House of the King like an enemy?"

"My lord, she's killed Gate Warden Oiji!" a voice put in hurriedly. The King's eyes didn't even flicker.

"Why do you kill those in service to the King?"

"My lord," Kaoru said, having calmed her breathing. She did not lift her head or twitch a finger as she replied. "Thus I deal with your spy."

There was a general gasp from those who heard her, and the words she spoke were echoed in varying degrees of surprise and disbelief. The King did not seem to react. Instead, he asked: "Oiji was the spy of which the _Battōsai _spoke?"

"Yes, my lord. And there is more. There is an item of great import and danger within your House. Touched by Shishio's magic."

"I would hear your full story," the King said after a long pause. Kaoru lifted her head marginally.

"There is not time enough for the full story, but I will tell you all that is of import."

"Then I would hear that," Katsura replied grimly.

"The _Battōsai _and I reached Shishio's lair, and entered it. While facing the sorcerer, I was injured, and placed in an unnatural sleep. The _Battōsai_ was forced to flee with my body. He brought me to aid, with the ninja group the Oniwabanshu. I recovered, but not before the _Battōsai_ left to face Shishio once more. While I was in that sleep, however, I saw many things. And I can still see the taint of Shishio on people and objects he has touched. Thus did I know of Oiji's betrayal."

"Why did the _Battōsai_ flee?" asked Katsura. A valid question, really. Why didn't he simply kill Shishio and _then_ tend to her?

"Shishio could not be killed. He himself boasted of this, and in my sleep I saw its truth."

"So then, there is no hope," Katsura said heavily, his shoulders dropping marginally. Kaoru looked up sharply.

"My King, I did not say that. And to hear it from your lips, I can only respond with the question: are you truly my liege lord, or have you usurped his place and his appearance?"

Katsura looked at her in surprise. Then he gave a wan smile. "You are right. It is not right to despair."

Kaoru remained quiet, already having dared much to speak to her sovereign in such a manner. Katsura regarded her a moment.

"You said there was an item here in my House?" he asked finally.

"Yes, my lord," Kaoru replied. "Your Royal Crest. I must ask you to lend it to me."

The Guards in the room exclaimed over her audacity. Some swords were lifted. But Katsura froze them in place again with a firm word. "Hold."

He glared around and then lowered his gaze back to Kaoru, who remained prostrate at his feet. "Why do you ask this?"

"I would not dare speak it aloud," she replied. "But I beg my lord to trust his last remaining Messenger."

"You would not…dare… speak it aloud?" Katsura echoed, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"I fear that if I gave it voice, the words would draw Shishio's attention down upon us. And I will not risk that."

"Very well." The King thought a moment. "I will entrust you with the Crest."

There was a stirring and some protests from those in the room.

"It is but a symbol of my kingship, not the kingship itself!" Katsura said, his voice snapping over the voices of the others. They fell quiet. Under their eyes, he took off the Royal Crest and handed it to Kaoru, who accepted the gold emblem with a bow.

"My King," she continued. "I would also ask you to consider attacking Shishio now, with what men you can gather immediately. I need to get into his palace and near him without his knowledge. An attack might shift his focus so that I might slip past his defenses."

"An attack such as that is nearly suicidal. The sorcerer has an army himself, of unnatural creatures. The most I can rouse would be a hundred and fifty."

"But your men will have the benefit of my protective spells," interrupted a deep voice from the hole Kaoru had torn through the _fusuma. _Her head snapped around.

"Seijurō!" Kaoru exclaimed, for it was he. The wizard stood in the hole, unnoticed by all until that moment. The King's Guards shifted to compensate for this new- in their eyes- threat. The tall, white-cloaked man ignored them.

"Katsura Kogoro, sovereign of the land, I offer my service to you and your men. I cannot fight Shishio for you, or craft wizardly weapons for your forces to wield in the upcoming battle, but I can provide protection," he said. "Shishio is not strong enough to break my spells."

The King glanced at Kaoru briefly. She murmured quietly: "This is the wizard Seijurō Hiko. The wizard who healed me; Kenshin's _shishou_."

"I thank you for your offer, and I would appreciate any aid you gave," the King told Seijurō, politely. The wizard inclined his head.

"Call your men. I will weave the castings now. There is no time to waste on frivolous courtly talk."

Katsura motioned, and Sano, who had taken up his position at Katsura's right side as Captain of the Guard, left the room. Presumably, he was rallying the troops.

"Seijurō, what are you doing here?" Kaoru asked the wizard, her surprise at seeing the man in Sugihayami overriding any thought of tact she might have had. He didn't take offense, though.

"My _baka deshi_ asked me to come," he replied, giving her a look. "You have done well. He finally drew up enough courage to face me again."

"Kenshin? Kenshin went to see you? When?" Kaoru demanded, finding herself suddenly on her feet and striding forward to stare up into the wizard's face intensely.

"Of course; he knows that I'm much stronger than he, and that I could protect you and your King better than any other," Seijurō snorted.

"But _when_?" Kaoru repeated, her voice rising. "WHEN?"

"He came to me yester eve, and left again before the sun rose."

Kaoru thought quickly, and her eyes sparked with sudden, renewed hope. "Then there is still a chance that I can reach him before it's too late!"

Seijurō Hiko paused to consider the girl in front of him. Then, quietly, almost to himself, he said: "So my _baka deshi_ has won your faith… As you have won his."

Kaoru didn't hear.

"Lord Wizard," said a Guard. "The men have gathered."

They went out to the back of the teahouse, where there was a garden. The garden was originally intended for use by the teahouse's clientele, but it also served well as a bivouac. The one hundred and fifty men that had gathered were arrayed there, standing in ranks as if prepared to march. The wizard stepped forward.

Kaoru barely paid any attention to the spell casting, focusing on the Royal Crest in her hands. She turned it over and over, feeling its chill, a coolness that did not abate even as she held it. But when Seijurō addressed the King once more, his words startled her into snapping her head toward him again.

"I can cast a spell to bring you closer to Shishio's palace than you would get in four days' time otherwise. I could bring you and your troops to the edge of the sorcerer's land."

"Wait," Kaoru broke in. "You mean to the edge of the dead zone?"

"What else would I mean? Use your mind, girl." Kaoru ignored the insult, turning to Katsura.

"This would be a good thing. A very good thing."

"Then I agree," Katsura told her and Seijurō. The King was wearing plain clothes now, having changed quickly as Seijurō set his spells; he was dressed in unadorned _gi _and _hakama _that would be easy to move and fight in. His katana and wakizashi were at his side.

Kaoru's hand crept involuntarily to the strip of cloth that she'd used to bind her own katana across her back. She shifted the strip so that it fell more comfortably across her chest, smoothing out the wrinkles it had created in the borrowed _gi_ beneath it. The weight of the sword on her back was comforting.

"This is all of you, correct?" Seijurō inquired, glancing at the small army behind him. The King inclined his head. "Then prepare yourselves. This won't take long, and I cannot promise that the enemy won't be ready and watchful for your arrival. Best be expecting trouble before trouble takes you unaware."

"Swords at the ready," Katsura ordered in a field-voice that carried over the heads of the army. There was a hissing as a hundred and fifty blades cleared their sheaths. Kaoru did not draw her blade.

"As soon as I can, I intend to make a run for it," she informed the King. "I have to reach Kenshin as soon as possible."

"Understood." Katsura nodded to her. She nodded back, clenching her jaw and setting her feet in preparation. She tucked the Royal Crest into her sleeve. She looked to Seijurō as a sudden though occurred to her.

"The Oniwabanshu," she said. He looked at her, and seemed to grasp her meaning immediately.

"Where are they?"

"Um… probably not far from here. They are heading toward Shishio's palace as we speak." Kaoru replied.

"I will take care of that," Seijurō assured her. He stepped back from her and looked out over the assembly.

"Good fortune to you," he told them. And then he cast the spell.

* * *

_TERMS_

_okashira- the leader of the Oniwabanshu._

_saya- sheath_


	17. Chapter 17: Run, Kaoru, Run

_Now isn't this FUN?? Another chapter! Wowie! I quite enjoyed writing this one; answers at last! Hahaha… I know I probably should have been working on my ethics paper, but writing this was so much better. The paper's doomed to be complete malarkey anyway. So then, with no further ado! Please enjoy, and don't forget to review!_

* * *

**Chapter 17**

The world seemed to dissolve around her… or perhaps she dissolved from the world. There was a moment both endless and incredibly brief in which she felt herself cease to be. She was no longer contained within the sphere of the world, but rather spread across whatever was beyond it. She was between life and death, neither here nor there. She couldn't move in the time she was transcendent, and her lungs were frozen as well as her limbs. The moment seemed to last forever, but before she could even begin to consider panicking over her inability to breath, it was over. The little scattered bits that were _her_ seemed to pull together, to coalesce. And she found herself standing at the edge of the dead area that marked Shishio's terrain, surrounded by the King, his Guards, and the army they'd raised. They all stood stock-still, startled into motionlessness by the strangeness of the journey. Kaoru blinked as she caught sight of Aoshi's and Misao's confused and wary faces. So Seijurō had been able to 'bring' them as well.

Kaoru was confident that somebody would be able to explain things to the Oniwabanshu. She had no time to do so herself. She lingered there only long enough to inhale deeply, once, to reassure herself that she could. Then she took off at an all-out sprint.

Perhaps it was the motes of Seijurō's magic that still danced over her skin from the sending spell that did it, or even the last lingering touch of Shishio's magic from the curse he'd laid upon her. Or perhaps it was simply her own desperation breaking through what she had thought of as her human limitations. Whatever the cause, the effect was certain. As Kaoru ran, she noticed her surroundings flashing by her faster and faster, until it seemed she moved at a speed impossible for a mere human to achieve, and her surroundings all blurred together. She was reminded heavily of the night- seemingly so long ago- when Kenshin had borne her body in his arms and fled from their ill-fated encounter with Shishio. It had been a wild run, and she felt the same exhilarating speed again now. She barely felt her feet touching the ground; rather, it seemed as if she flew across the waste of Shishio's territory, the cracked earth becoming a rust red blur beneath her feet.

There were dark shapes before her now- Shishio's army. Unlike the mortal earth and sky, the masses of _obake_ showed crisp and clear to her. They did not blur and flash past as easily as the other things about her. The creatures' faces, or what Kaoru judged to be the things' equivalents, twisted and shrieked toward her. Claws and talons stretched out to snag her clothing as she passed through them in her whirlwind run, tearing holes in the _gi _and _hakama_ Kaoru had borrowed from the Oniwabanshu.

The _obake _could not stop her, however. Her momentum was too great, Seijurō's protective magic too strong, and the orders Shishio had given them too pressing for them to truly devote their efforts into stopping her. Their master had bade them kill the King and his army, and so they would, unable to do anything but what they'd been commanded to do. The nightmarish creatures were terrible to face in a battle, but their minds were small. They'd go on to complete their orders and attack the King's army, forgetting about Kaoru entirely unless Shishio commanded them to go after her as well. The _obake _were tireless trackers, she knew already. If Shishio commanded them to take her out, they would recall every last detail they knew of her, and use them all to better obey the order.

Hopefully, Shishio would not think to do such a thing. Hopefully, she would remain alive long enough to make sure he'd never have the chance.

The entrance to the sorcerer's lair yawned before her, and she stopped dead. Her clothes blew against her and swirls of dust rose because of the sudden stop. Even though she had been moving implausibly quickly, and logically should have overshot the entrance even if she'd stopped right when she'd spotted it, she had been able to come to a complete halt right before the stair that led down to the doors. She did not even stagger with the effort of stopping so abruptly.

Her chin lifted with determination as she glared down the dusty stairs. She spared one glance back across the dead earth over which she'd come, and saw the mass of distant figures which had to have been the two clashing armies. But that was not her battle. Her battle was forward, down below the earth. She descended.

There were two figures waiting before the large doors that would open onto Shishio's lair. Kaoru was slightly surprised to see that they were not corporeal.

"You wait for me?" she asked the spirits of Enishi and Sōjirō. They were clearly visible to her, though she could still make out the grain of the wooden doors though their insubstantial forms.

_'Yes,' _replied Sōjirō.

_'We will lead you through the maze of Shishio's palace,'_ Enishi told her._ 'We know it well enough, and can take you through quick passages to him. The swordsman is already there.'_

"Kenshin's reached Shishio already?" Kaoru said. Her eyes blazed. "Lead me. I will follow."

_'Our bodies are with the _obake_ army, leading the fight. There is no need for stealth. What we need now is speed.' _Sōjirō said. He held out a hand, and Enishi mirrored him. _'Take our hands.'_

Kaoru reached out, and closed her hands around the spectral ones of the two youths. Somehow, hers did not pass through theirs, and she distinctly felt them pull her along, one on either side of her.

They pulled her into a run much like the one she'd experienced in her coming, only this time her feet truly did not touch the ground. They caught her up and brought her in the shadow ways used by spirits; a grey veil seemed to drop over her eyes, and the world was muted as Enishi and Sōjirō whisked her through halls and doors at a dizzying speed. The first door they'd come to, Kaoru had felt a thrill of fear as they did not slow and the door did not open. She couldn't help but flinch just before she impacted with the heavy wooden door, but she passed through it as if she were as insubstantial as the two spirits at her sides.

_'You have discovered the truth,' _they told her as they ran. _'You can defeat Shishio now, if you are skilled enough, or if there is luck upon you.'_

"If I kill him, you will be released, right?" she asked, shouting over the rush of their speed. There was an unfurling bud of concern in her heart for her two young benefactors.

_'Perhaps. We think it will be so,'_ they replied. _'If our bodies survive, we may be able to reclaim them.'_

"How can I see you? Is it because I was like you for a time?" she shouted.

_'Yes, though if we were stronger we would be able to appear to any mortal. For you to see we need not expend any effort. That is to be preferred. If we become too weak, we succumb to Shishio's spells fully.'_

"I _will_ kill him," Kaoru promised them darkly. Her heart sped up at the anger that exploded in her chest.

_'Shishio will die, by your hands and your swordsman's,' _they assured her.

_'The trick is not dying yourself when you do end him,' _Sōjirō added in warning. _'Here, the heart of the palace.'_

Kaoru could've deduced that from the ringing sounds of clashing swords that were audible even through the doors that stood before her. Kenshin and Shishio were fighting. She wasn't too late; good. Enishi and Sōjirō had brought them to a halt at the far end of the hall, and set Kaoru gently on her feet. Their hands slid through hers, losing the odd solidity that had allowed her to grip them.

_'We cannot get too close to the door, for fear that Shishio would sense us.' _Enishi said.

_'We've brought you as close as we can. Shishio is yet an apprentice; he cannot sense us even as close as we are now,' _Sōjirō continued.

_'Good luck,' _Enishi said, bowing. Sōjirō bowed as well, and they both faded from sight.

Kaoru took a breath and ran down the hall, threw open the doors- as much as she could, as they were very heavy and hard to move- and took in the sight of the room beyond.

It was the same room where she'd faced Shishio the last time. But the floors, walls, and furniture showed marks from the fight that had been raging in it. Shishio and Kenshin were on opposite sides, both panting, both bearing small wounds on their bodies and sharp steel in their hands.

"Shishio!" Kaoru cried, her voice pitched to carry. It cut through the room quite forcefully, breaking into the two men's battle-furies and calling their attention to her.

Kenshin's eyes were blazing gold, nearly sun-bright with their intensity. They darkened slightly when he saw her, and he took a step forward.

"Kaoru." But he remembered where he was and what he was in the middle of, and his eyes lightened again and he shifted his body back to face Shishio fully, prepared for any surprise attack the sorcerer might launch.

"So you still live," said the sorcerer, with a chillingly evil grin. "How… lovely. But are you still of your own mind?"

"You must answer for your crimes," Kaoru told him coldly, drawing her katana. Shishio laughed.

"My crimes?" he repeated, and laughed again. "What about your crimes? Or better yet, _his _crimes?"

Kaoru didn't let her gaze wander from Shishio even as he pointed at Kenshin. The sorcerer continued: "I am far from the only guilty one here."

"Shut up," Kaoru growled. "Whatever they are, Kenshin's crimes- and my own- are petty and insignificant compared to yours!"

"Is that so?" Shishio's mouth twisted into a terrible smile and his voice was smug with amusement. He addressed Kenshin conversationally. "Shall I tell her, _Battōsai?_ Shall I tell her of your crime?"

"You-" Kenshin took a step toward Shishio, furious.

"Whatever you're about to say, I don't care!" Kaoru snapped at Shishio. Kenshin stopped and glared at Shishio, anger and anguish in his eyes and a muscle twitching in his jaw.

"Oh, you think so, really?" Shishio said patronizingly. He glanced at Kenshin. "You didn't tell her, did you? I'll get to break the news? Delicious."

The sorcerer swept his tongue across the teeth that were bared in his frightening smile. "What do you know of the Greater Magicks, girl?"

Kaoru didn't answer. She didn't see why it mattered, but she was also disturbed by the way Kenshin was acting.

"There are only ever two with the power," Shishio continued. "One master, one apprentice. Hiko Seijurō is the master. The _Battōsai _was the apprentice. That is, he was until he forsook the power. When he did that, the power had to go to some one else."

Kaoru felt her eyes widen at the implication of what Shishio was saying, even though she hadn't wanted to let his words affect her. Her katana dropped a little bit her her grip. The sorcerer gave her a wolfish grin.

"Yes. The power went to me. The _Battōsai _gave the power to me."

"NO!" roared Kenshin. "I did not know it would go to you! I did not know how the next apprentice would use it!"

The redhead flew at Shishio, and their swords clashed. Shishio braced his katana with his knuckles on the back of the blade, and threw Kenshin to the side, shrugging off power of the swordsman's blow as if it were nothing. Kenshin twisted in midair so that he landed on his feet. He fell into a crouch and converted the momentum of the throw into a force he used to push off the ground. He popped into the air above their heads.

"_Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū: Ryūtsuisen Zan!_" Kenshin came down toward Shishio, leading with his katana. The sorcerer seemed unconcerned as he shifted. Kaoru saw the counterattack that would prove unavoidable, and couldn't help but shout out.

"No!" Her cry was lost in the sound of metal screeching down metal, the thump of flesh on flesh, and the thud of a body into a wall. Shishio had countered Kenshin's blow, a feat that had seemed impossible, forcing Kenshin's blade off its mark by catching the blade on his own katana, and pushing it away as Kenshin came down behind the sword. Because Kenshin had been going for a stabbing sort of blow rather than a slash, Shishio only needed to deflect it a few inches to completely avoid any damage. Then as Kenshin's weight came down on the blade, and he got close enough for a physical blow, Shishio had slammed his elbow into Kenshin's stomach, seized the redhead's collar in a fist, and threw him into the wall like a doll. Kenshin slid down the wall, barely able to get his feet under him enough so that he didn't crumple completely to the ground. As it was, the redhead doubled over in pain, his feet unsteady beneath him, and coughed blood.

"Oh no, you might not have meant to, but your role in my creation is inarguable. If you had not been so selfish and cowardly, I would not have gotten the power, and I wouldn't have become a sorcerer." Shishio paused and then laughed. "I suppose I should thank you!"

"I…" Kenshin said hoarsely.

"And imagine! If I am just the apprentice now, imagine how powerful I will be when I am master!" Shishio roared. He looked swiftly to Kaoru, who stood watching with her brows knit together and her emotions in turmoil. "Funny that he never saw fit to tell you any of this, hmm? Surely you feel betrayed right now? Why wouldn't he want to tell you that he helped me rise to my position now? Was it that he didn't really know? Or perhaps it was that he was acting the hero, nobly sacrificing his life to take down an evil sorcerer?"

Shishio's eyes were over-bright, the mad light in them mesmerizing. Kaoru felt caught, like a rabbit in a snare, as she looked into them. Shishio's tone became smooth and sweet like poisoned honey. "Don't you feel betrayed? Why trust him, he who lied to you and hid his motives from you? He who denied his own emotions to become a better killer? Come to me. Come to me, little one."

Kaoru felt the seductive pull of the sorcerer's words, and took a couple steps toward him before she even knew what she was doing. Kenshin stirred, where he slumped against the wall.

"Kaoru," he whispered, hurt and desperate. His eyes, swirling violet and gold, bored into her. She stared back, hugging herself with her arms.

She took a few steps closer to Shishio. The sorcerer laughed as Kenshin's face shut down, his eyes going bleak and hopeless. Kaoru moved to Shishio's side, lifting her face to meet his gaze squarely. The expression on her face was sweet and docile, but her eyes smoldered with some strong emotion. The sorcerer laughed harder as he reached out to pull her against his side.

"You lost this battle, _Battōsai_! You knew she wouldn't be able to resist the pull of my magic on her, not after I so nearly made her a puppet." Shishio taunted Kenshin. The redhead bowed his head, shaking in fury, but still reluctant to attack Shishio with Kaoru right there. Kaoru glimpsed his eyes through the red bangs hanging in his face. The irises were so pale they were almost white. Fear and shock jolted through her.

_'Better do it now!'_ she cried to herself. And she whipped her hand out of her sleeve, holding the Royal Crest firmly in it. Under the pretense of hugging her arms around herself, she had retrieved the heavy gold crest from where she'd stashed it. Now she held it aloft, ignoring the chill of it that seeped into her bones and made them ache.

"Shishio!" she cried in a great voice that somehow managed to thunder through the room despite its femininity. The sorcerer froze, going rigid as he stared at the crest in fury and fear. "Mortality has found you once more!"

She slammed the Royal Crest against the sorcerer's chest. As soon as it touched him, he let out a truly spine-chilling scream, his face contorting into some gruesome snarl. But he could not twist out from under it, could keep the inevitable from happening.

The Royal Crest held Shishio's mortality. Looking back, Kaoru should have realized that he would have done something of the sort. His specialty seemed to have been breaking things into pieces, separating things. He'd taken Kenshin's heart and hid it in a katana in the middle of a battlefield, he'd stripped the souls from bodies to make his puppets… It only made sense that he'd make himself immortal by separating his mortality from his body. Hiding it in the Royal Crest was a clever action. The object was revered by the people, a symbol of the kingship; they would not have ever suspected. And the Royal Crest, being mostly about the King's person, was under constant protection by Shishio's unsuspecting enemies. But with the warnings of the spirits of Shishio's victims, as well as some other hints, Kaoru had realized the truth, though it had almost been too late. Knowing of Shishio's penchant for breaking peoples souls and bodies into pieces, the spirits' hints and his own admission at immortality, and the oddness of the temperature in his body and the Crest, Kaoru had been able to divine the sorcerer's secret. Shishio had taken his immortality, separated it from his body and put it into the Royal Crest, likely with the help of Oiji, the King's man who'd turned traitor. So Shishio's body began to burn with the fire of immortality, explaining why his touch had felt like a burning brand. And the Royal Crest took on the chill of mortality, the ice of Death.

But now Kaoru had returned Shishio's mortality to him. He was immortal no longer.

Death, Kaoru had heard it been said, and knew it for herself, was not a pretty thing. It seemed that getting back the ability to die was no better. Shishio screamed a grating shriek that sent lances of pain through Kaoru's head, and his face twisted into a terrifying caricature of a human face. But Kaoru did not falter, and kept the Crest pressed viciously to his chest. Tendrils of steam and smoke rose from where the Crest touched him, his clothes and the bandages he'd wrapped himself in burning away so the medal of the Crest lay flush against his skin.

It took mere seconds, a time in which Kaoru felt the Crest grow warm in her hand, and then, still screaming, Shishio flung his arm out, catching Kaoru across the chest. It was like a warhorse had kicked her, at full force and head-on. The breath was driven from her lungs in a rush, and her feet left the floor as she flew backwards, smashing into the wall. She struck it first with her back, and felt a rib snap, but that pain was eclipsed by the white-hot bolt of pain that jolted through her entire body as her head cracked back against the unyielding wood of the wall. She crumpled to the floor, dazed by the pain and unable to breathe. Black and red spots danced before her eyes. The Royal Crest sang with a metallic ring as it fell with her, knocked from her hand.

Kaoru tried to drag the air back into her abused body, struggling to make her lungs behave and gasping as the fight sent a stab of pain shooting through her chest from her broken rib. She managed to get out: "Kenshin! Now! Kill him… now!"

* * *

_TERMS_

_Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū: Ryūtsuisen Zan (Dragon Hammer Strike Tragedy)- The "Zan" is a brutal variant of the "Dragon Hammer", which instead plunges the sword into the adversary with a sword-plant rather than simply striking them. This was only seen once in the series._


	18. Chapter 18: Take Care, Beloved

_Okay, so this is version 2 of this chapter. I changed about three-four sentences because they were pointed out as a little foolish sounding when taken in context of what had happened earlier. The part is when Kaoru goes to Kenshin's side at the end of the chap. 'Kay_ _bye. Please read & review._

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Kaoru couldn't see if Kenshin had heard her, but she did hear him shout something. The yell was followed shortly by the clash of swords. Kaoru panted for a moment, getting her lungs back into working order, closing her eyes against the dizzying pain brought up by the action of breathing. When she could control her body's intake of air, she opened her eyes.

Kenshin and Shishio were fighting, the two power-touched men moving so quickly they seemed mere shadows flickering from the torches that lined the walls. Except that those torches were so numerous that they burned away every shadow in the room.

Kenshin closed with Shishio, and they locked blades. There was a beat in which the two of them each tried to overcome the other, and then Shishio tore his blade away. In doing so, he dragged its length along the edge of Kenshin's katana, producing a shriek of metal on metal. Shishio knocked Kenshin away with a kick to the stomach just as their katana were about to disengage. Kenshin took two steps back under the blow, and then stopped, bracing himself. He would have charged forward to attack again, but Shishio forestalled him. The sorcerer snapped his fingers, and a tongue of flame lashed through the air between them. Kenshin jumped back to avoid being burned, his eyes narrowing in fury.

"The weak will die, and the strong shall live!" Shishio shouted, lunging at Kenshin. The redhead span away from the oncoming katana, whipping his own sword around to slash at Shishio's neck. The sorcerer straightened up in the blink of an eye and blocked it. "And I shall be the lord of all!"

"Your logic is flawed," Kenshin growled. "You were the second choice. Your power is nothing compared to what once I had wielded, and to what my _shishou _wields now. You are far from fit to become lord of all."

Shishio frowned at him, sliding into a half-crouch. He put one hand to the _saya _at his side, and rested the base of his katana blade against the throat of the sheath. He paused there, poised for some sort of attack.

Kenshin settled into an offensive stance of his own, katana sheathed. It seemed as if they would attack at the same time, rather than balancing the fight with one defending as the other attacked.

Kaoru staggered up, clutching her side where stabbing pains jabbed at her, her attention fixed on the fight. They were frozen, neither blinking, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Kenshin took the initiative.

The red-haired swordsman darted forward, shouting as he went: "_Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū Ōgi: Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki!"_

Kaoru's mouth dropped open. _'Ōgi'?_ This was the secret technique of the _Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū_!

Shishio surged forward to meet the attack with his own roar: "_Kaguzuchi!"_

The sorcerer scraped his katana blade along the throat of its _saya, _and the air around the sword erupted into flames which raged and twisted like dragons around the weapon.

Kenshin's katana, which had been moving so quickly through the air Kaoru had lost sight of it, clashed against the flaming blade. Both attacks halted, but the fire around Shishio's blade continued to burn. Kenshin allowed himself to press in a little closer with the momentum of his attack, and then, as Shishio began to push back in an attempt to keep the crossed blades from being shoved into his chest, leaped backwards. The force of Shishio's resistance acted like a catapult, and Kenshin flipped backwards in the air toward the wall. It was a controlled tumble, though, and Kenshin ended up 'crouched' on the wall for a split second before he used the surface to spring back towards Shishio.

Shishio ducked under Kenshin's attack, and the sorcerer's katana flashed up to draw a line of blood down Kenshin's chest. Kaoru gasped.

The swordsman landed heavily, but on his feet. His _gi_, sliced through, fell off one shoulder to hang around his waist.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried, but neither sorcerer nor swordsman heard her. She took a step forward, and gasped at the pain that shot up through her legs and back. She was more injured than she'd thought. She leaned heavily against the wall.

_'Damn. Damn, damn, damn! I can barely move…' _she grimaced at herself, but her eyes were unwaveringly fixed on Kenshin and Shishio.

Kenshin wavered, and then suddenly the spot where he'd been was empty, and a dark blue and red blur was streaking toward Shishio. The sorcerer lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, and tongues of flame were suddenly licking at the oncoming Kenshin, appearing from empty air in whooshes of sound and heat. Kenshin twisted around the fire fluidly, moving so smoothly that it took Kaoru's breath away. He was like a god, moving with a deadly grace impossible for mere humans.

He spun around Shishio, faster than the sorcerer could turn, and his katana flashed. A line of red appeared across Shishio's back, bright against the white of his bandages. He hissed at Kenshin, whirling away from the other's blade.

The action brought him closer to Kaoru, so she reached for her katana. But Kenshin was faster, and between one blink and the next, he was standing protectively in front of her and Shishio had moved to the other side of the room.

Kaoru felt a spurt of annoyance. She was fully capable of taking care of herself! Kenshin didn't need to-

Kaoru sucked her breath in with a hiss as she moved wrong and pain stabbed her chest. And, with it, it brought realization. She wasn't exactly in the best shape to be protecting herself, with a broken rib and who knew what other injuries.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't take an opportunity to hurt Shishio if one came up. She kept her katana unsheathed in her hand.

Kenshin flashed into a blur again, darting toward Shishio. Again, the sorcerer called up fire in the air between them. Kenshin angled away from the flames, zipped to the wall next to Shishio, ran a couple paces up it, and then kicked off in a spectacular arch over Shishio's head.

"_Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū: Ryūkansen: Tsumuji!"_ He came down on Shishio like a bolt of lightning, but somehow the bandaged man slid out from under the attack. The once-smooth wood of the floor splintered with the force of Kenshin's attack. The two opponents leaped back and faced off again.

Kaoru blinked. The sorcerer was shifting into that stance again, with his katana held against the throat of its _saya_. This was the attack that had hurt Kenshin before. That had matched and broken through the ultimate technique of the _Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū_. It couldn't be executed again! Kenshin wasn't preparing for his ultimate attack, and Kaoru doubted his normal techniques could stop Shishio's flame-wrapped katana; Shishio could not be allowed to complete the attack!

"Kenshin, no!" she shouted. "Don't attack, he'll kill you!"

But he did not hear, or if he did, he did not acknowledge it. He lifted his katana slowly, eyes glittering.

Kaoru looked around desperately. She was too far to attack Shishio before it was too late, but maybe if she could distract him somehow… She had her katana… maybe if she threw it at him… but it was too heavy. It wouldn't go far enough to attract the sorcerer's attention. She could throw one of her _zori_, but they were simply straw. He could just shrug it off if one hit him.

Kaoru's eyes alighted upon the Royal Crest, lying where it had fallen after it had been knocked from her hand. She could reach it, and throw it. If she threw it hard enough, it might even hurt Shishio, not badly, but still…

Kaoru threw herself at it as Shishio and Kenshin both leaped into motion.

"_Kaguzu_-_" _Shishio was just pulling his katana across the _saya _when the Royal Crest _ping-_ed off the blade. The sword skittered off the sheath throat, the attack broken. His furious red eyes darted to Kaoru in the first instant after, the hate in them fierce and hot. She stood upright, meeting the glare boldly, watching as Kenshin's attack continued uninterrupted. The redhead's katana bit deep into Shishio's body and blood bloomed across his chest like a giant, gory flower. He fell to his knees, blood spilling across the floor.

"_You-!"_ The sorcerer snarled, the word barely decipherable as human speech. It was unclear which 'you' he referred to; his eyes were fixed on Kaoru, but his hands, curling into claws, reached for Kenshin. "Curse you! I curse you with my last breath, by the-"

Kenshin jerked his katana around and swiftly beheaded him. Whatever else the sorcerer might have said was lost with his death.

Kenshin's katana flicked in _chiburi_ and was back in the _saya _at Kenshin's waist so quickly Kaoru almost missed it. Arms hanging limply at his sides, the redhead staggered back, away from the body that was still leaking blood. He stumbled backwards until his back hit the wall and then he slid down that, until he was sprawled half-propped against it. He was breathing hard.

Kaoru was moving before she realized it, somehow forcing her abused body into motion. She was almost to him when she stumbled and fell to her knees. She slid forward, knees bumping Kenshin's arm. With no concern for what the action had done to her, Kaoru's hands went almost automatically to Kenshin's face, turning it toward hers. She was filled with relief, pain, grief, and fear for all that had happened and for the chance that Kenshin was too badly injured to make it out of the palace.

His gold eyes met her blue ones, and darkened to deep, rich amber. Tears slipped from Kaoru's eyes, clinging to her eyelashes and sliding down her cheeks. "Kenshin, are you alright?"

"Yes, I will be fine," he said quietly, his hands rising to grip hers. "I will need a Healer, however, when we get out of here."

"Yes," she said. It was all she could manage, with the knot in her throat growing to choke off words.

'_Kaoru.' _A voice behind her made the last Messenger turn sharply around, despite her injuries. Her eyes were wide with shock and recognition.

Her sister, Akira, Ryo, Yuki, Takeshi, Michiko, and Haru stood in the room, Shishio's body visible through their wavering forms. Kaoru cried out in a terrible mix of joy and grief. Her family and friends drifted closer, spectral fingers reaching out to dab the tears from her face.

'_You have released us. You have given us peace. Thank you,' _they said, their 'voices' filled with love and regret. _'Now we must go to the Place-Beyond-This-One. But we cannot leave you in such pain. You must let us go.'_

"I…" Kaoru wimpered. Beside her, Kenshin struggled more upright, and put an arm comfortingly around her. The transparent image of Kaoru's sister smiled slightly at the red-haired swordsman, a knowing look on her face as she stood with the spirit of her lover Akira.

'_We are safe now. Shishio can no longer touch us; you have made us safe. And now the Other Place beckons,' _Takeshi told Kaoru gently. She looked up into the serene, gentled faces of her beloved friends and felt an easing of her heart. She nodded.

"Yes. You will be safe. I love you all, and I will miss you. Go."

'_Take care, dearest sister,' _said Tomoe.

'_Take care, King's Messenger,'_ said the others. _'Beloved comrade.'_

'_Take care, our deliverer,' _whispered a hundred other voices, and Kaoru had the brief impression of many other ghostly forms standing behind the group of dead Messengers. Then all of them disappeared.

"Take care," she whispered. She looked back at Kenshin, who was watching her carefully.

"You woke," he said. "And you came."

"Yes. I could hear you, when you spoke to me. And then when you left…" she trailed off. "I could see so much in the place I was during that time. In that sleep. I knew that you could not defeat Shishio without my help. And I could not let you die."

"Kaoru…" Kenshin said. He brushed his fingers across her cheek, fingers coming away wet with her tears.

* * *

_TERMS_

_saya- the sheath of a katana._

_Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū Ōgi: Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki (Heavens Bridging Dragon Spark) - It's a battōjutsu that surpasses shinsoku. The secret behind the technique lays in an additional step with the left foot. This single step alone adds an instantaneous acceleration and weight to the sword changing the godlike speed of Hiten Mitsurugi Battōjutsu to "Beyond Godlike Speed". However, this very foot is difficult to take as one of the fundamental teaching of battōjutsu states that one should step forward with the right foot as to avoid cutting their own foot with their own attack. Although, with Amakakeru Ryū No Hirameki, the additional step forward with the left foot can spell certain death for the swordsman, as it takes precise timing to coordinate, as to not lose any momentum while drawing; it requires the utmost concentration, that can only be obtained by one's desire to live._

_Kaguzuchi- The Kaguzuchi is the ultimate technique in Shishio's arsenal. He activates it by scraping his blade from the base to the tip on the end of the scabbard, creating a miniature fiery cyclone around the blade. The technique is not fully revealed, but it's believed that Shishio starts the fire and then slashes at the enemy, thus he can incinerate them entirely while still cutting them. Before Shishio could utilize the Kaguzuchi, he was countered by Kenshin's ultimate attack._

_Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū: Ryūkansen Tsumuji (Dragon Wrap Flash Spiral)_

_Differs from the normal Ryūkansen, in that the swordsman is in motion (and in one particular case in midair) while spinning._

_chiburi- the motion in which blood is flicked/shaken from the sword._


	19. Chapter 19: There Was Probably Also Sake

_Hey people! Back again. For the end! Who's pumped?! Eh, I'm neutral. I liked writing this story, it's kinda sad/happy to finish. But anyway: a couple notes. 1) I re-uploaded the previous chapter (18) with a slight change. Nothing huge; just a couple sentences near the end of the chapter. and 2) I like to thank my reviewers or the people who faved/alerted my stories, so at the end of this chapter there's a little thank you blurb. Okay, lets get on with it then! Please read and review. Tell me your parting thoughts, any questions (I'll try to answer 'em, if ffnet doesn't act up again), etc._

* * *

**Chapter 19**

At Kenshin's delicate touch, Kaoru's eyes overflowed with fresh tears. The feel of his hand against her cheek seemed to break open a wound she hadn't known she'd had in her heart, and the pain and sorrow that had been caught there rushed through her body, leaving her trembling.

"I was so afraid you would die… I thought that I wouldn't be able to get here in time. While my body slept time was so strange; I couldn't tell if an hour had passed or a sennight. So when you left, I fought to wake, terrified that I was already too late," Kaoru said. Kenshin gathered her into his arms, embracing her gently yet warmly. "I fought so hard, because…because I love you."

Kenshin held her and they stayed like that for the space of several heartbeats. Then, he said, softly: "_Sessha _is not worthy of Kaoru-dono's love, that _sessha_ is not."

His speech was humble to almost a painful level. Kaoru pulled away from him and met his eyes. She noted absently that they were vivid violet, with no trace of amber or gold in them. She lifted her hands and placed them on either side of his face, staring into his eyes so that he could not mistake her honesty.

"There are none of this world that are unworthy of love, least of all you. I give you my love based on your heart, not your worth."

Kenshin leaned forward until his forehead met hers. Kaoru closed her eyes, feeling the softness of Kenshin's hair where it fell against her face.

)0(

The battle above ground, outside the palace on the dead earth, had ended the moment Shishio's life did. The _obake_, created from the sorcerer's power, had disappeared the same instant in which he died. The power had gone from him and from his spells.

Though the sudden disappearance of their opponents had taken the King's forces by surprise, they soon overcame their astonishment and turned to the activities normal to armies after battle. The living walked the battlefield, giving aid to those wounded who needed it, granting mercy to those too far gone to save. Here and there, brothers, fathers, and friends knelt and mourned at the side of those less fortunate than they. Of the one hundred and fifty men the King had led into battle, one third would not return home.

It had been a while since the _obake _had vanished; long enough for the King to take stock of his remaining people, and to come up short one Messenger and one red-haired swordsman.

"We should perhaps send a group into the palace to see if they survived," he said to the Captain of his Guard. Sanosuke was winding a bandage around his hand, having injured it in the fighting.

"I would agree with your Highness, but I am not sure it would be a good idea to send people into the sorcerer's stronghold. For all we know, there are traps set to prevent such a thing."

"It is not necessary, in any case," said Aoshi, who was standing nearby. As they had fought through the _obake_, moving amid the chaos of battle, he and Katsura had ended up fighting side-by-side. The bonds that form between comrades in battle are closer even than those of blood and kin; Aoshi now stood at an honoured place beside Katsura, and between the three of them- King, _Okashira_, and Guard Captain- a flask of water was passed without ceremony.

"What do you mean?" Sanosuke asked, confused. Aoshi jerked his chin toward the east, where, across the desolation, two figures were making their way closer. Kenshin and Kaoru trudged painfully into the midst of their countrymen, leaning on each other for support. Sanosuke ran toward them, as best his injuries and fatigue allowed.

"_Jou-chan_!"

"Sano…" Kaoru gave him a tired smile. "You're alive. I'm glad."

"Katsura-sama," Kenshin said, inclining his head to the King as the sovereign came up behind his Guard Captain. "Shishio is dead."

And then both of them- Kenshin and Kaoru- collapsed, unconscious.

)0(

When next Kaoru woke, she opened her eyes to a broad canopy of white linen over her head. The fabric moved in the light breeze that passed over it. Kaoru blinked.

"Alright!" exclaimed a voice next to her. "You're awake finally!"

Kaoru turned her head to the side and saw the young ninja, Misao, sitting on the ground, one leg swathed in bandages and stretched out before her. The adolescent was grinning at Kaoru.

"It seems like anytime I see you, you're sleeping!"

"Are we still…?" Kaoru asked muzzily. Misao anticipated the question and pressed in with an answer before the words left her mouth.

"Yep, we're still in the wasteland. Somebody just managed to produce a tent, so they've moved the wounded under it.

"Hey, you killed Shishio, didn't you? Was it scary? Did he use a sword, or just his magic to fight? Was Himura there, too? Or was it Himura who actually killed him?" The questions came at her very quickly, flying out of the young girl's mouth. Kaoru feebly lifted a hand to stem the flow. A chuckle sounded off to the side.

"Young miss Misao here has been waiting for you to wake so she could have somebody to talk at," joked Gensai as he came around to the bit of cloth Kaoru was laid out on. Kaoru blinked. She hadn't known that the old man had accompanied them to the battle. But she supposed it made sense that a Healer would be brought. The elderly man smile down at her. "How are you feeling?"

Kaoru took a breath, and felt for the first time the restrictive bandages that had been wrapped around her torso. She looked down at her body. All her wounds had been treated and bound. She smiled back at the Healer.

"Better now. Not so much pain. How is Kenshin?"

"He was asleep, same as you, last I saw him. His wounds were a bit more extensive than yours, but I expect he'll be just fine," replied Gensai. "He is right over there."

Kaoru strained to look where Gensai had gestured, and could just make out the bright shock of red hair on one of the other figures that lay on the ground in the tent. Then the effort that the action of sitting up required became too much and she relaxed back down.

"Could you help me move over to him?" she asked quietly, her voice softening with emotion. Gensai and Misao exchanged a knowing look, and then moved their gaze back to Kaoru. The Messenger returned the gaze levelly, her heart in her eyes. Gensai chuckled.

"So that's the way of it, then? Alright. I can get some of the uninjured to carry you."

"No, I-" Kaoru winced at the word 'carry.' But Gensai adopted a stern look.

"Now now, no arguing; I don't want you moving unnecessarily and re-opening those wounds," he said. Kaoru lowered her eyes, and the Healer left to find somebody who would help move her.

Kaoru hadn't gotten to where she was by being the sort that gave up easily. Almost as soon as the old man had left the tent, she was levering herself up slightly on one trembling arm. Misao gaped at her companion.

"What are you doing? You're not gonna try to-- But Gensai said to stay still!"

"I won't be carried to his side," Kaoru told her, already beginning to pant from exertion. She got herself turned so that she was on her belly facing Kenshin, and started half-crawling, half-dragging herself over to him. "I can go to him myself."

Misao, immobilized by her wounded leg and unable to do anything but watch, followed Kaoru's progress across the tent with wide eyes. It was not a particularly long distance, but Kaoru was injured and exhausted. It seemed vast to her weak body.

"Kaoru! Please, stop, you're hurting yourself!" Misao begged, distressed. Kaoru did not reply.

The movement did hurt her wounds, the bandage across her chest pressing painfully into her skin as her breathing became ragged and heavy. She'd worked herself to her limit, and her body wasn't letting her forget it. But she made it to Kenshin's prone form, her fingers twisting into the material of his sleeve. She looked at his face, gentled by sleep, and took comfort in his nearness. She laid her head down beside his shoulder, face pressed to his _gi_.

When Gensai returned, with Aoshi and Sano in tow, Misao looked at them with tears on her face. The three men blinked at the girl, surprised by her tears. Sniffling, she wordlessly pointed toward where Kaoru curled against Kenshin's side. Gensai went to them immediately.

"Foolish child! Has she no regard for her own recovery?" he said, but the words were without rancor. Kaoru did not stir, having fallen asleep at Kenshin's side, drained of what little energy she'd had left. Aoshi went to Misao. His face showed no emotion, but his concern was still obvious.

"Why are you crying?"

"She… she just dragged herself over to him, even though you could tell it was hurting her. It was… she…" Misao whispered, wiping her cheeks with the heels of her hands. Sano stuck his hands into his pockets, slouching where he stood. He smiled a little wryly at the sleeping Kaoru.

"Ah, _jou-chan_, it hit you hard, didn't it?" He shook his head, smile widening a little bit. "Well, at least now I don't have to try to lift her up and carry her over there."

"What a terrible thing to say!" Misao exclaimed, suddenly completely devoid of any trace of tears. She groped for something to throw at Sano, as he cowered back with raised hands.

"Hey, hey! I just meant because my hand is injured! Really! Aoshi! Control your subordinate!"

The unflustered leader of the Oniwabanshu lifted an eyebrow.

"You brought this upon yourself," he replied, surreptitiously handing Misao one of her _kunai_. "Perhaps you should practice thinking before you speak?"

)0(

Kenshin woke a few hours later, along with Kaoru, who had woken when Gensai came to check her bandages again. The Healer treated her gently, but the light touches on her wounds still brought her up from sleep.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin questioned sleepily, looking at her with slight confusion.

"We're in a Healer tent," she said. Then to Gensai: "Did I open them?"

Gensai looked up from the wound on her arm he was re-bandaging. "No. Luckily enough."

"I have found in my experiences that love either makes one very lucky, or takes all that luck away," said a voice.

"Hiko," Kaoru smiled at him. "You seem to enjoy appearing suddenly in unexpected places."

Hiko crossed his arms. "I am a wizard. Part of what we do is appear where we are needed."

"Oh, I thought you just liked to look mysterious and powerful," Kaoru grinned. The release of all the fear and grief that had been caused by Shishio had made her rather giddy. Kenshin struggled upright; Gensai helped him.

_"Shishou_," he said. "Do you know to whom the power has passed on?"

_'Oh, that's right,'_ Kaoru recalled abruptly, _'There are always two with power in the world. One master, on apprentice. Now that Shishio is dead, there must be another.'_

Hiko was shaking his head. "No, the new power has not been revealed to me yet."

Then the wizard turned his dark eyes on Kaoru. "But two other interesting things have revealed themselves, and they seem to have some connection to you, King's Messenger."

"Me?" she said, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"The King has given me responsibility over them, as they also seem to have had some connection with the sorcerer as well," Hiko continued, and gestured to somebody behind him, outside the tent. Two figures, dwarfed next to Hiko's tall, brawny form, stepped into sight. "After all the _obake _disappeared, these two were still hanging around, and when approached, they threw down their swords and begged leniency in your name."

Kaoru couldn't help the broad, genuinely happy smile that stretched over her face. Enishi and Sōjirō, with identical smiles on their bright faces, knelt before he and pressed their foreheads to the ground.

"You succeeded," Sōjirō beamed at her when they straightened. "I knew you would."

"I am glad that you two were able to reclaim your bodies," Kaoru replied. "I did not want you to die for Shishio."

"Neither did we," laughed Enishi. The happy, upturned face of the kneeling boy was such a change from the dead, vacant one she had remembered that she heart lifted looking at him. The difference was visible in both of them, in truth. The smile that graced Sōjirō's face was vastly different even from the smile his body had worn as a puppet. The two young boys fairly glowed with life.

"We owe our lives to you, so we thought that we could swear to serve you," Sōjirō told her. Kaoru was surprised.

"Serve me? Oh no, I couldn't…" she paused then, struck by a sudden thought. She continued slowly: "If you wish it… I can bespeak the King for you, and find you places in his service…"

"Would he accept the service of two such as we?" Enishi asked dubiously. "If it were possible, we would gladly serve him, but will he want us?"

"Katsura-sama values and trusts Kaoru," Kenshin spoke up. "And I can see into your hearts and I know that you are both trustworthy. I will bespeak you as well, if you wish it."

Enishi and Sōjirō bowed low.

"Touching," rumbled Hiko dryly. He nudged the two boys with his foot. "Come along, then. There are matters that require my attention, and as I am to be responsible for you, it is with me you must come."

"Thank you, thank you, Messenger," they said as they left, eyes shining with hope.

"I am setting the spell that will take the remainder of the army back to the King's Palace in Edo," Hiko informed them as he left. "So if you feel a slight lurching, don't worry. It's just the magic."

"Aw man!" exclaimed Misao in distress, "Last time made me all nauseous!"

"Edo," Kaoru repeated joyously. "So then the city is no longer a nest of monsters?"

"No," Kenshin replied. "They would have died with Shishio."

Kaoru sighed in happiness. "We really did succeed."

"Yes," Kenshin murmured. "We really did."

)0(

A few months later, they had finally scrubbed the last of Shishio's filth from the cities that had fallen under his command. In Edo, the last of the stench of blood and death was washed away to cheers and celebration. Though Sano, the surviving Oniwabanshu (including Misao, Gensai and Aoshi), Katsura, Enishi and Sōjirō were elsewhere, enjoying the public festivities, Kenshin and Kaoru stood on the _engawa _of the Royal Palace and watched the _hanabi _as they popped and crackled in the darkening sky.

Kaoru sighed in contentment and leaned back in Kenshin's arms. He put his nose near her ear and tightened the embrace. "So how are your trainees doing?"

"Very well," she replied laconically. "I've said it before, but I shall say it again: Enishi and Sōjirō will be amazing Messengers. I am proud to be their teacher."

"They are honoured to be your students," Kenshin said. "You know there are ballads being written of the Last King's Messenger?"

"How can I forget," Kaoru replied sourly, "when every single musician in Edo with half a measure of talent wants to honour me by performing their own version of the tale?"

Kenshin chuckled.

"Laugh all you like, but don't forget that not one of them has forgotten to include the 'undead swordsman' that apparently was 'so struck by her beauty and innocence' that he 'loved her at first sight and swore to serve her in her mission.'" Kaoru twisted her head back to give Kenshin a look. He simply smiled.

"Oh I haven't forgotten. I just don't mind. It isn't far from the truth, really," he said calmly. Kaoru laughed and wrapped her arms over his.

"Charmer," she accused. Kenshin chuckled again, and Kaoru thrilled at the sound. She loved it when she got Kenshin to laugh; granted, it had gotten infinitely easier to do so in the months after the death of Shishio. But it still made her impossibly happy when Kenshin's lighter character was made evident.

_'He really has changed since then,' _she mused. _'And I am glad for it. His laugh is beautiful.'_

"Have you heard from Yahiko recently?" she asked him.

"No," he replied, "but if I know my _shishou_, he is working Yahiko so hard that the poor boy barely has time to breathe."

About ten days after the fall of Shishio, Hiko had appeared in the King's Court and had declared Yahiko his apprentice. Everyone had been rather shocked, Yahiko as much as anybody else, but when Kaoru told Kenshin of it, all the redhead had said was: "I thought I sensed the power rising in him."

Kaoru had been so surprised that she thought it some kind of joke at first. A small part of her still marveled at the fact that the boy who had been so much a younger brother to her was now an apprentice wizard, learning the finer points of the Greater Magicks from the Master.

"I suppose that the next time I see him, I won't be able to tease him and call him Yahiko-kun without risking being turned into a marsh frog or something of an even less savory nature, will I?"

"Oh I'm pretty sure he'd rather just sling a few insults and teases right back at you. It's hard to bicker with a marsh frog," Kenshin replied, and they both smiled at the thought. A few _hanabi_ exploded above the city, and the sounds of revelry drifted up to their ears on the wind. Kaoru was filled with a vast sense of comfort and joy. She broke the contented silence that they sat in with softly spoken words.

"I love you."

Kenshin captured one of her hands in his: "And I you, _koishii_."

END

* * *

_TERMS_

_sessha- this one. A very humble form of self-address. _

_engawa- the porch-like structure that wraps around Japanese houses. A traditional architectural element._

_hanabi- fireworks._

_koishii- beloved_

* * *

_OKAY! So that's the end. Hopefully, I wrapped up all the lingering threads. Hopefully, my lurvely readers (that's you) enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it, and I'm very glad that you guys liked it well enough to read it. So I think some feet-kissing is in order:_

_THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS/PEOPLE WHO PUT THE STORY IN FAVORITES/ON ALERT (in no particular order)_

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_Holy heck in a handbasket, there were a lot of you! Aww, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside now. One more time: THANKS TO ALL OF YOU, including those who I haven't mentioned that also read my fic. Cheers._


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